Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) plans for digital health venture
Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) has expressed interest in new digital health ventures, drug delivery technology and nutrition. GV Prasad, CEO of DRL, has explained that the company will look at small start-ups and incubation or acquisition of entire companies.  
Dr Reddy’s Laboratories is keen on getting into new ventures related to health and is open to incubating ideas in this space. The drug-maker will look at new ventures in digital health, drug delivery technology and nutrition, GV Prasad, Dr Reddy’s Co-Chairman and Chief Executive, told BusinessLine .

Indicating that these were early days, Prasad said DRL could look at small investments in start-ups, incubate an entire company or acquire one. It could also look at setting up a corpus or ear-marking seed capital towards this, he said.

Incidentally, competitor Cipla too has a new ventures business, developed by Samina Vaziralli of the promoter-group family.

Prasad, along with the DRL top management including Chairman Satish Reddy and Chief Operating Officer Abhijit Mukherjee, was in Mumbai to explain DRL’s recent re-branding exercise that reflects the company’s more expanded view on healthcare, including services. The Hyderabad-based drug-maker already has a pilot under way with a microfinance company to help fund expensive treatment. First off the block is Hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir.

Unlike other countries where people are supported by government or insurance, in India patients are often unable to afford the drug or the treatment, Prasad said. On the services front, the company supports patients with Cresp (Darbepoetin alfa), an anaemia drug for those with a serious kidney ailment, to keep track of their treatment.

On whether the domestic industry would see a consolidation, following the Sun Pharma–Ranbaxy merger, Satish Reddy said the industry still remained fragmented. There are opportunities to grow in the industry, he said, adding that DRL too would look at them.