CASE ONE:
DR. REDDY’S LABORATORIES LTD - CONQUERING THE WORLD WITH
AFFORDABLE MEDICINE FOR THE MASSES
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. is a pharmaceutical company
based in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. The company was founded
by Anji Reddy. Dr. Reddy’s manufactures and markets a wide range of
pharmaceuticals in India and overseas. The company’s portfolio
includes over 190 medications, 60 APIs (active pharmaceutical
ingredients) for drug manufacture, diagnostic kits and critical
care and biotechnology products.
Dr. Reddy’s is not just a generic company, but an API company
with a much broader activity. It is the only Indian company to have
significant R&D activities being undertaken overseas. Dr.
Reddy’s has enormous capabilities in chemistry, formulation
development, manufacturing, environmental management and research.
With this depth of capabilities as well as a history of continuous
progress, a workforce of more than 12,000 employees, and a global
orientation, Dr. Reddy’s represents a company with great potential
to become a brand in Western (US and European) markets.
1984–1990: Taking the first steps. In 1984, Dr. Reddy’s
originally launched the production of active pharmaceutical
ingredients. In 1986, Reddy’s started operations on branded
formulations. Within a year, Reddy’s had launched Norilet, the
company’s first recognized brand in India. Soon, Dr. Reddy’s
obtained another success with Omez, and Reddy’s became the first
Indian company to export the active ingredients for pharmaceuticals
to Europe. Reddy’s started to transform itself from a supplier of
pharmaceutical ingredients to other manufacturers into a
manufacturer of pharmaceutical products in 1987.
1991–1999: Expanding and Innovating. The company’s first
international move in 1992 took it to Russia, where Dr. Reddy’s
formed a joint venture with Biomed. Dr. Reddy’s Research Foundation
was established to carry out research in the area of new drug
discovery. The focus has since changed to innovative R&D,
hiring new scientists, especially Indian students studying abroad
in doctoral and post-doctoral courses. In 1994, Reddy’s started
targeting the US generic market and in 1997, it was ready for the
next major step. From being an API and bulk drug supplier to
regulated markets like the USA and the UK, and a branded
formulations supplier in unregulated markets like India and Russia,
Reddy’s made the transition into generics by filing an Abbreviated
New Drug Application (ANDA) in the USA. In the same year, Reddy’s
out-licensed a molecule for clinical trials to Novo Nordisk, a
Danish pharmaceutical company. Reddy’s strengthened its Indian
manufacturing operations in 1999 by acquiring American Remedies
Ltd.
2000–2009: Growing Globally. In 2000, Dr. Reddy’s Research
Foundation set up an American laboratory in Atlanta which was
dedicated to discovery and design of novel therapeutics. The
laboratory is called Reddy US Therapeutics Inc. and its main aim is
the discovery of next-generation drugs. Reddy’s research thrust
focused on large niche areas in Western markets: anti-cancer,
anti-diabetes, cardiovascular and anti-infection drugs. In the year
2001, it became the first non-Japanese pharmaceutical company from
the Asia-Pacific region to obtain a New York Stock Exchange listing,
a ground-breaking achievement for the Indian pharmaceutical
industry.
Reddy’s started its European operations in 2002 by acquiring
two pharmaceutical firms in the United Kingdom. The acquisition of
BMS Laboratories and its wholly owned subsidiary, Meridian UK,
allowed Reddy’s to expand geographically into the European market.
The American launch of Reddy’s house-branded ibuprofen tablets in
400, 600 and 800 mg strengthened in 2003. Direct marketing under
the Reddy’s brand name represented a significant step in the
company’s efforts to build a strong and sustainable US generic
business. It was the first step in building Reddy’s fully-fledged
distribution network in the US market. In 2005, Dr. Reddy’s entered
into a marketing agreement with Eurodrug Laboratories, a
pharmaceutical company based in the Netherlands, to improve its
product portfolio for respiratory diseases. Dr. Reddy’s acquired
Betapharm Arzneimittel GmbH from 3i for €480 million in March 2006.
This is one of the largest-ever foreign acquisitions by an Indian
pharmaceutical company. Betapharm is Germany’s fourth-largest
generics pharmaceutical company. In 2008, Reddy’s also acquired
Dowpharma’s small molecule business in the UK. Dr. Reddy’s
announced in 2009 that it had entered into a strategic partnership
with GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) to develop and market select
products across emerging markets outside India.
Having started in 1984 as an API manufacturer, Dr. Reddy’s
Laboratories are currently offering over 150 patented medications
and more than 60 APIs, with more than 500 DFM fillings, and assuring
safety and quality of the medicinal products. The main business of
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, however, is the production and
distribution of generic drugs: drugs that can be legally reproduced
after the branded drug goes off-patent, which is usually after a
time period ranging from 20 to 25 years, as well as
biologically-similar alternatives, new chemical entities, and
differentiated formulations. In other words, Dr. Reddy’s is mostly
involved in cheap and efficient reproduction of medications which
are no longer protected by patents. Thus, they can be sold under
the brand-name price since expensive steps such as research and
innovation of the drug have already taken place.
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories offers more than 200 generic drugs
which are distributed to countries in the West and to Asia. The
production of generic drugs is more cost efficient since the drugs
have already been developed and tested. Therefore, based on the
original price of the off-patent drug, generic drugs are
substantially cheaper to purchase, in agreement with Dr. Reddy’s
Laboratories’ philosophy of making crucial pharmaceuticals
available for everyone. These generic drugs are mostly offered in
the major therapeutic areas of cardiological diseases, pain
management and anti-infection drugs, as well as those used in
dermatology and oncology. Generic and biologically-similar
pharmaceuticals are sold under brand names, also known as branded
generics, in order to supply people, who are willing to pay a small
premium in order to get an efficient and recognizable product, with
high quality yet affordable drugs. Well known generic brands by Dr.
Reddy’s include Omez, Ciprolet, and Nise, which are holding
leadership positions in various key markets, especially in India,
Russia, and Commonwealth of Independent States countries.
In developed markets such as the USA, Germany, UK, and
Australia, however, the drugs are not sold under branded names but
their generic names, also called pure generics, in order to keep
costs low in the production stage and lower the healthcare costs
for the patients. Furthermore, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories’ product
range does not only contain copycat or generic drugs but also
includes APIs and is the second largest provider of APIs since it
distributes to more than 75 countries in the world. Being a world
leader in generic APIs also has multiple advantages, such as
keeping prices low and making it available for patients in the
shortest amount of time.
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has performed very well in the past
two years. It made revenues of more than 96,737,323.00 Indian
Rupees (€1.3 billion) during the fiscal year 2012 with a gross profit
of more than 55 %. The year 2013 followed with a remarkable growth
of 20 % in revenues, which demonstrates the quick growth the
company is experiencing due to their successful business strategies
mentioned above. Because Dr. Reddy’s LTD is listed on NASDAQ, the
past years were very beneficial for the stockholders due to a strong
increase in earnings per share as well as dividend pay-out. The
company’s stock was strongly bullish and share prices have risen
significantly when compared to other indexes within the last 5 years
and this has made Dr. Reddy’s a stable and efficient investment
opportunity.
“If one analyses why we have been so successful, the single
most important fact is our strength in the R&D and our ability
to commercialize technologies developed in a quick and efficient
manner”.
This quote by the Chairman and CEO of Dr. Reddy’s, G.V.
Prasad, states why the company was able to become a world
pharmaceutical company in less than 30 years: the fact that high
priority was put on the R&D sector.
There are multiple daughter companies wholly owned by Dr.
Reddy’s, such as Promius Pharma, which focus solely on innovation
and new product development which are positioned not only to
produce generic drugs but also to research new and affordable
alternatives. Another important fact, which greatly contributed and
still contributes to the company’s success, is the
patient-friendliness of the company. Dr Reddy’s is different from
other pharmaceutical companies because it does not exploit the
end-consumer by exaggerating medicinal products but puts efforts
into making medicine affordable for everyone. This fact almost
instantly provided the company with a good reputation. Furthermore,
Dr. Reddy’s was the first pharmaceutical company in India that
approached the end-consumer directly, providing in depth customer
services and using it as a tool to keep patients both satisfied and
updated on upcoming products.
Another major point contributing to the success of the company
is the very diverse manufacturing and distribution of medicinal
products in emerging and developed markets. In emerging markets,
generic drugs by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories are sold under branded
names, whereas the opposite approach is taken when acting in
developed markets: that is, distributing the product solely under
the generic name to make it more competitive in Western markets in
particular. Hence, a focus on R&D, the right marketing efforts,
and the company’s philosophy that healthcare must be affordable,
made Dr. Reddy’s a world leading pharmaceutical company in less
than 30 years.
Through multiple R&D laboratories all over the world, Dr.
Reddy’s Laboratories assures high quality standards for all their
products. Targeting Western specialty generics in order to
establish a foundation for drug production constituted the first
step for the company towards its own innovation and research. The
company has multiple research and development institutes in India
and North America which are pioneering next generation
pharmaceuticals using genomics and proteomics. The laboratory,
Reddy US Therapeutics Inc., located in Atlanta, is only doing
research on next-generation drugs, and focuses on Western niche
markets such as anti-cancer, anti-diabetes, and anti-infection
drugs. Additionally, more and more new medical products are
developed on a biologically similar basis, focusing more on the
conversion of natural ingredients rather than just on synthetic
ones. Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories are also strongly engaging in novel
molecule innovations which are crucial in developing new treatments
for therapeutic use.
Dr Reddy’s Laboratories capitalized on the regulatory troubles
of Indian rivals to post its highest ever quarterly income and
operating profit during October-December 2013. India’s largest
pharmaceutical company by sales announced in January 2014 that net
profit in the third quarter swelled by 70% compared to the previous
year whilst revenue grew by 23%.” (Economic Times 2014) Based on
this citation written by The Economic Times in February 2014, it
become clear what a huge growth potential and thus growth
development Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has displayed in the past year
especially, but also in general, since it was founded in
1984.
The biggest growth in market size and capitalization has been
made primarily in the US market as a result of several crucial
factors. The business benefited the most from the launch of new
products in the generic business and the expansion of key products
with limited competition due to patenting and complex development.
Additionally, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories was able to increase its
market share in the US because competing pharmaceutical companies,
such as Wockhardt and Ranbaxy, had been dealing with legal issues
concerning the safety of a new plant and so production was unable
to meet the market demand.
Dr. Reddy’s has a long history of being guided by principles.
The strong belief that they can make medicines of higher quality
and lower prices compared to Western companies was a driving factor
for the company to enter the overseas market as an API supplier in
1986. At that time, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories was one of the first
suppliers in the overseas market. It gained more and more attention
when it became the biggest supplier of methyldopa to the German
pharmaceutical giant Merck. By delivering high quality for low
prices and by getting US FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
approval for their plants, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories was able to
supply ibuprofen to the US market shortly thereafter. Hence, within
a short time, Dr. Reddy’s made a name in the European and North
American markets.
This reputation began to grow as the company also launched
several products for which they had gained marketing exclusivity
rights: that is, being able to make extra revenues of more than 200
million US$ just by having exclusive selling rights due to
patenting and FTF regulations (Mahalingam, 2013). Not only has Dr.
Reddy’s Laboratories been successful in expanding into the European
and US market, but it also has been reaching out to the emerging
markets. It has become a trustworthy partner with Russia, which is
currently the biggest growing market of the pharmaceutical company.
Through the company’s willingness to strive to its best potential
and to take on new challenges by entering into such difficult
markets as the US, it inspired other smaller Indian companies and
became a benchmark for success.
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has a strong position in the global
market. While playing a minor role in the domestic market, it
established itself in the global market with its generic business
and over-the-counter drugs in North America, West Europe, and in
Russia, its fastest growing market. The pharma market accounts
currently for more than 65 % of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories total
revenues. The main business of the company in the North American
market is the development and production of global generics,
whereas a pipeline with more than 200 generic drugs are on file in
order to instantly replace products which are going off-patent
within the next few years. In addition to those generics which have
yet to be launched, other key products with limited competition
have been constantly introduced to the market over the previous
years and are expected to continue to build high market share with
little price erosion.
The strongest growing market for Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories,
however, is the Russian market, which is currently experiencing a
strong restructuring of their pharmaceutical sector as it is trying
to reach a level of 50 % in domestic production of pharmaceuticals.
The huge increase in demand is mainly in the middle to low cost
generics produced by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories as well as
over-the-counter drugs. Since the company already has strong
business connections with Russia since 1988, it was able to
increase its revenues significantly (20 % on average) during the
past years. Even if Russia passes a specific law which requires
generic and innovative companies to have a manufacturing presence
when selling its products, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has already
stated that they are willing to locate production facilities in
Russia, and the only thing to evaluate is whether to acquire
existing facilities or build new ones.
Despite the generally strong growth of Dr. Reddy’s
Laboratories in the USA, Russia, and the emerging markets, Dr.
Reddy’s Laboratories is not one of the biggest players in the
domestic Indian market; it does not even rank in the top 10 in the
domestic pharma market although it is ranked as the second largest
pharmaceutical company in India. The strong focus on profitable
foreign markets is surely to some extent a reason for the lack of
performance in the domestic market. The Indian pharmaceutical
market is flooded with several new products from companies such as
Sun Pharma and Cipla, whereas Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories had been
focusing on a few selected brands which limits the company’s
portfolio to a much greater extent and thus makes it difficult to
acquire additional market share.
Therefore, in the past four years, the company has invested
heavily in boosting the sales force by 50 % and marketing efforts
have been expanded into rural areas, as they are seen as an
emerging market in India itself. Furthermore, through the
development of new product lines and the extension of existing key
brands in the area of gastrointestinal or cardiovascular, which
account for more than 50 % of its revenues, the company will have
new possibilities to gain a bigger market share. However, as Dr.
Reddy’s has been showing so little effort in the domestic market as
compared to foreign markets, it will be very challenging for the
company to gain acceptance within the Indian medical community and
therefore increase sales since time has shown that the Indian
pharma community is hesitant when it comes to new portfolios,
unlike the North American community. Furthermore, Dr. Reddy’s may
also be influenced by the new Drug Pricing Controls, which will
increase the prices for some of its essential products perhaps
causing a decent loss in profits in the home market (Economic Times,
2014). Since the medical portfolio of the company is relatively
small compared to its competitors, another way of gaining market
share more quickly is by acquisition of other medical businesses,
individual brands, or entire portfolios.
However, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has far more possibilities
than only acquiring other businesses or expanding their existing
portfolio, including making use of the huge R&D facilities in
developing biologically similar products. These products have
little competition in the domestic market and are expected to
increase from US$2 billion to US$ 4–6 billion through 2016. Since
the possibility of new entrants remains small due to the complexity
of the products and production processes in this new emerging
pharmaceutical sector, Dr. Reddy’s may use this favourable position
to grow its market share.
Additionally, by entering into a partnership with Merck
Sereno, a division of the pharmaceutical company Merck, Dr. Reddy’s
will lower the risk by splitting development costs, which are
estimated to be at more than US$200 million. The fact that the
company is already heavily engaged in the development of
biologically-similar products, and that developed countries are
still far from launching biologically-similar products to such an
extent, gives Dr. Reddy’s a crucial advantage in its home market
among its Indian competitors. High entry barriers and the difficulty
of domestic companies to increase their capabilities also work in
Dr. Reddy’s favour. Thus, the key driver for the company to gain
market share with little competition within its domestic market is
its high expenditure in R&D.
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories is a multinational pharma company,
which provides high amounts of tax yearly to the government from
producing, importing or exporting products. The new regulations in
the Indian Drug Pricing Policy will most likely lead to higher
prices and to shrinking profit margins, and also to having to pay
more taxes, which is a clear disadvantage for the company as well
as for the whole pharma sector in India. Furthermore, Russia passed
a law which would force pharmaceutical suppliers to build domestic
plants in order to be able to distribute their products to the
Russian market. This would lead to higher taxation as well in the
Russian market, although the good, general relationship between
Russia and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories would suggest that both parties
would be in favour of such an idea since having production
facilities in Russia opens new supply channels towards Eastern
European countries. A special-purpose program will support the
restructuring of the Russian pharmaceutical industry, which might
provide beneficial incentives for companies such as Dr. Reddy’s to
produce in this market in the near future. Nevertheless, the
general advantages and benefits, which Dr. Reddy’s already possesses
and seeks to expand over the coming years, are primarily their own
successes in technology, long term thinking, and a high degree of
innovation.
As one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in India, Dr.
Reddy’s Laboratories averages 200 orders a day alone for its US
generic pharmaceutical and over-the-counter products. A
triple-digit percentage revenue increase in the past year (2013)
demonstrates the agility of the company’s move into the generic
marketplace. Getting to market first following US FDA approval is a
key with generics. Dr. Reddy’s needed a streamlined supply chain
and the flexibility to position its new products against the large
number of prescription drugs due to come off patent protection.
Since it manufactures in India, Dr. Reddy’s must plan for
additional lead times to get products to the USA. When drugs move
from branded to generic, pharmaceutical companies face a host of
regulatory and supply chain challenges to get products to
clinicians and retail pharmacies. Since the FDA approves the sale
of branded drugs as generic as late as the day of patent
expiration, acting quickly and efficiently means being first out of
the gate, sometimes even getting products to the drug wholesalers
or store distribution centres the next day. That drives critical
planning for the right warehousing and distribution solutions
linked with transportation. Further complicating the process, the
FDA also may require label and packaging changes to some medicines
prior to approval for generic sales.
Since Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories’ company mission is to make
“affordable medicine for everybody,” the challenge is going to be
how to remain sustainable in the low pricing class in order to
build and keep their customer base. Newly imposed regulations are
obstacles which have to be overcome by the company using even more
technological advantages in order to still make profit by keeping
costs low throughout the production process. In addition, Dr.
Reddy’s has to show initiative and strong cooperation with the new
‘healthcare project’ in order to gain a favourable position in the
Russian pharmaceutical market. As Dr. Reddy’s plays more of a minor
role in their domestic Indian drug market due to the intense
competition, a different approach, such as the production of highly
technological medicine, rather than lower costing has to be found
in order to retain a leading position in the Indian market.
CASE ONE QUESTIONS:
A. Critically discuss the strategy/strategies adopted by Dr.
Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. to become a global company.
B. Discuss the issues and challenges Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories
Ltd. faced in its march to become a global company.
C. With reference to strategic management concepts/tools,
discuss how the company dealt with the issues and challenges it
faced.