"The raw materials, basic amino acid derivatives, will be supplied by our group company and over 75 per cent of the finished product will be exported back to a group company in Denmark," Alate said. Technology for manufacturing these life-saving drugs has already been transferred to the Indian subsidiary. The layout for the facility has been approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Maharashtra and the unit has the capacity to manufacture finished good worth Rs 5 crore to Rs 7 crore per annum.

Alate said that the company plans to invest Rs 5 crore during 2000 in the new unit. Ferring is also expected to outsource part of its R&D work to its local arm and Alate said basic research efforts are on the cards for 2000-2002. The local subsidiary already markets a complete fertility range, products in the gastroenterology segment and a bedwetting product, Adiuretin. Ferring Pharma expects sales to go up to Rs 25 crore in 2000-2001. Internationally, the Ferring Group has manufacturing centres in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, UK, US and the Czech Republic, all of which are approved by the US FDA and WHO (Geneva). The company, established by Dr Frederik Paulsen, has R&D centres in Sweden, US and the UK and employs over 1700 people. Ut registered sales of $500 million in 1999.