Ranbaxy, Pfizer sign truce over Lipitor, Reliance Big to light up screen with Spielberg

Ranbaxy, Pfizer sign truce over

Exactly a week after the promoters of Ranbaxy Laboratories sold their shareholding to Japanese drug maker Daiichi Sankyo, the Indian drug maker and US giant Pfizer announced that they have reached an out-of-court settlement on their litigation over the world’s largest selling drug, Lipitor (Atorvastatin). According to the settlement, Ranbaxy will launch its generic version of Lipitor, the $12.7-billion cholesterol-lowering medicine, and combination drug Caduet in November 30, 2011 in the US with exclusive marketing rights for 180 days, along with the innovator company. Industry estimates peg Ranbaxy’s revenue upside from the settlement for Lipitor at $1.5 billion over a four-year period up to May 2012. Ranbaxy (subject to litigation) was on course to launch its generic version of Lipitor in the US in March, 2010, 15 months ahead of its patent expiry in June, 2011.

The settlement pushes back the launch date by 20 months, even though it eliminates all uncertainty regarding the launch date. In addition, Ranbaxy will also not receive any upfront payment from the out-of-court settlement. Says Prabhudas Lilladher’s pharma analyst Ranjit Kapadia: “The settlement brings certainty to Ranbaxy’s launch and will cut down litigation cost for Ranbaxy from tomorrow itself. However, the drug’s launch has been pushed back by 20 months, which means that Pfizer will get additional sales of around $20 billion during the extended period.”
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Ranbaxy has described the deal as a win-win situation. “This is the largest and the most comprehensive out-of-court settlement ever in the pharma industry covering a total revenue of over $13 billion. The revenues will start kicking in from this year as we will be launching generic version of Lipitor in Canada this calendar year,” Ranbaxy Laboratories CEO and MD Malvinder Singh told ET. A senior Pfizer executive said the agreement clearly reaffirms the value and importance of intellectual property.

The settlement was announced after Indian stock exchanges closed on Wednesday. Ranbaxy shares moved up 2.9% to Rs 598 during the day. According to industry estimates, Ranbaxy will get a revenue upside of around $1.5 billion from the Lipitor generic over a four-year period up to May 2012. Bulk of this revenue will be backloaded and is expected to accrue when Ranbaxy launches the drug in the US market in November, 2011. Lipitor generates annual sales of $8 billion in the US alone. In Canada, the drug rakes in about a $1 billion in sales every year. Caduet, a combination drug of Lipitor and hypertension drug Norvasc, has annual global sales of $400 million. In addition to the US and Canada, the Indian drug maker will also have the licence to sell Atorvastatin in six more countries - Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Italy and Australia - on different dates. Ranbaxy can launch its Atorvastatin 2-4 months ahead of patent expiry in these countries. Ranbaxy and Pfizer have also resolved their disputes regarding Atorvastatin in Malaysia, Brunei, Peru and Vietnam. Continued...Next >>

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Reliance Big to light up screen with Spielberg19 Jun, 2008, 0620 hrs IST, ET Bureau

its recent high-profile entry into Hollywood, Reliance Big Entertainment (RBEL), the entertainment arm of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG), is now close to inking a joint venture with Hollywood director Steven Spielberg. It is learnt that ADAG will commit $500 million in the new venture, which will fund all of Mr Spielberg's movies. The new company, to be formed between the two parties, will produce about six films a year. The American film director, producer and screenwriter is a three-time Academy Award winner and is the highest-grossing filmmaker of all time. In a career spannig almost four decades, Mr Spielberg made classics such as Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Jurassic Park, which became the highest-grossing films of their time. During his early years as a director, his sci-fi and adventure films were often seen as the archetype of modern Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking.

However, a Reliance ADAG spokesperson offered "no comments" when questioned about the deal. This will also mean that Mr Spielberg, who sold his company DreamWorks to Viacom in 2006, will part ways with Viacom, with the funding that they receive from ADAG. The move cements Reliance Big Entertainment's plan to become one of the largest players in the entertainment business in the world. Last month, Reliance ADAG announced a slew of projects at the Cannes film festival, roping in Hollywood stars, including Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, Jim Carrey and George Clooney, with an estimated investment of about $1 billion.

Reliance ADAG is understood to be financing Mr Spielberg to ensure that DreamWorks is sufficiently funded so that its departure from Viacom's Paramount Pictures is feasible. Recently, RBEL, which runs cinemas in India through Adlabs, entered the US market under the brand name 'Big'. The company has acquired more than 200 theatres across 28 locations in North America, including New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, San Jose, Los Angeles, Washington DC and Seattle. The group has also bought a US-based theatre management company to operate the US chain and has set up a distribution company to license rights. RBEL is focused on both international and domestic projects, and its vision is to become one of the major entertainment companies world-wide. The entry into mainstream Hollywood projects is in tandem with this vision. For Hollywood actors and producers, partnering an Indian entertainment company would ensure South Asian audiences.

Besides, they would get a strong producer and distributor, capable to explore new markets and concepts. In February, when George Soros invested $100 million in RBEL, the internet, media and entertainment arm of ADAG, for a 3% stake, valuing the company at $3 billion, the move took everyone by surprise. The primary reason was that most of the businesses held under RBEL were either at the planning stage or characterised by earnings potential rather than actual earnings. However, going by the recent spate of activities and the number of acquisitions that RBEL has undertaken, the plans seem to be gaining momentum. Three months after the last investment, RBEL has been in talks with private equity biggies like Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company (KKR), billionaire investor Carl Icahn, Japan's Softbank and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority for selling a 10% stake for a valuation of $5 billion.



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