However, the move will not come till such time that the synergies between the companies are completed, he added. ``We will maintain the separate identity of the company and retain the workforce including the top management,'' Reddy said without specifying a timeframe for the process. ``Though the company's name will be retained, it will be separate entity. We have not yet given thought of whether it should be a division within DRL or otherwise,'' he said.

Elaborating on the synergies between the two companies, Reddy held the takeover would place the group among the top pharma companies in India both in terms of turnover and market force. ``Rationally to reach the top for any pharmaceutical company, a large and quality field-force is essential which is now fulfilled by the takeover,'' he said. The acquisition of the company would place the combined market share of the group at a little over 2.5 per cent of the prescription market, pushing it into the sixth slot, according to industry observers.

The move also adds another 400 medical representatives to Dr Reddy's 550 apart from another 500 people to its 700-strong force of managers. American Remedies has a five-year co-marketing tie-up with Glaxo India Ltd for speciality products which is likely to benefit Dr Reddy's.