| |
Novartis plans nutritional item export to SE Asia
Our Infrastructure Bureau
MUMBAI, January 18: Novartis Nutrition India Pvt Ltd, the newly formed joint venture company of Swiss multinational Novartis, plans to export leading adult nutritional supplement brand, ReSource, to South East Asia. Novartis Nutrition India is a 51:49 joint venture of Novartis Enterprises Pvt Ltd (100 per cent held by Novartis AG) and Novartis Nutrition AG, Basle.Novartis Enterprises managing director, JV Dore, said that samples of the product had already been sent and the joint venture outfit was projecting a total export turnover of $3-5 million over a five year period. Production of specialty nutrition products in India is estimated to be at least 15-20 per cent cheaper than other group subsidiaries in the region. ReSource, one of the group's flagship brands, was launched in 1995 in several test markets overseas. Novartis Nutrition will manufacture its nutritional products on a toll manufacturing basis at Hyderabad. The company, which will have a field force of 120 by the end of 1998, expects to
launch its products in the Indian market by March. It's field strength would reportedly go up to 190, which includes about 50 nutritionists. Key nutritional products in the Novartis stable include Sandosource, Meritene and Vivonex, though Dore said that currently there were no plans to bring in Novartis' Gerber brand, the global leader in jarred baby food market. In 1996, Novartis' nutrition business, with total sales of 3.7 billion Swiss francs, accounted for 13 per cent of the healthcare giant's turnover.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
|
 |
