Universal Remedies, which sells the popular cod liver oil brand SeaCod, is also in the process of selling its over the counter (OTC) brands to Aventis in a Rs 500-crore deal. That will be a nearly five-time premium to its current sales. Danone scooped up Wockhardt’s nutrition business to make its Indian entry into the segment. The top dollars it paid were predominantly for the legacy brands — Farex, Protinex and Dexolac — which Wockhardt brought to the table.
In May this year, Mumbai-based JB Chemicals agreed to sell its top billing cough and cold brands in Doktor Mom, Rinza and Metrogyl to Johnson & Johnson in a whopping Rs 1,000 crore transaction. Earlier, in one of the largest deals, the $35 billion Abbott purchased the domestic business of Piramal Healthcare in a $2.5 billion deal last year. Through the deal, Abbott expects its pharmaceutical sales in India to exceed $2.5 billion by 2020. The acquired portfolio comprises branded generics, including market-leading brands in multiple therapeutic areas such as antibiotics, respiratory, cardiovascular, pain and neuroscience.