Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals

1992
 
 - The Company was incorporated on 1st July and obtained the
 Certificate
 for Commencement of Business on October 15.  It was promoted by K.R.
 Rao, C.B. Rao, N. Subramanium, N. Sambasivam, N.  R. Reddy, Dr. R.
 Kailasam and Ms. R. Vijayalakshmi.
 
 - The Company undertook to set up a 100% EOU for manufacture of 90
 TPA
 of cephalosparin group.
 
 - A Collaboration agreement was entered into with sintofarm, Italy
 for
 state-of-the-art technology, buy back of entire production, training
 of
 personnel etc.  Also, another agreement was entered into with M.V.
 Reddy for know-how for manufacture of 7-ADCA & Cephalexin.
 
 1993 
 
 - 17,01,800 shares issued, subscribed & paid-up, (of these 14,38,000
 shares subscribed for by signatories to the Memorandum of
 Association,
 1,00,000 shares to NRI who are associates, friends of promoters and
 1,63,800 shares to foreign collaboration sintofarm).
 
 - During September, the company issued 42,98,200 No. of equity
 shares
 of Rs 10 each for cash at par of which the following were reserved
 for
 allotment on a firm basis.
 
 - (1) 6,12,000 share to promoters, directors etc.
 
 - (2) 1,36,200 No. of equity shares to collaborators sintofarm in
 repatriation basis.
 
 - (3) 5,50,000 shares to secured India Investment on repatriation
 basis.
 
 - (4) 5,00,000 shares to IDBI.  Balance 25,00,000 shares issued to
 the
 public.
 
 1994 
 
 - The Company entered into an agreement with SBD Laboratories Italy,
 for technology for keeping production in sterile condition.
 
 - The Company undertook to expand the combined capacity of
 cephalexin,
 cepadroxyl and cefradine from 90 tonnes to 150 tonnes.
 
 - 14,73,000 shares allotted to FIIs domestic corporate bodies,
 employees of the company on private placement basis. 12,00,000 No.
 of
 equity shares allotted on private placement basis with Indian Mutual
 Funds & others in July.
 
 1996 
 
 - The Company proposed to set up a state-of-the-art formulation
 facility exclusively for manufacture of sterile cephalosporin
 formulations.
 
 - 86,73,000 Rights equity shares issued (prop. 1:1; prem. Rs 30).
 
 1997
 
 - The company recently became the youngest Indian pharmaceutical
 company to be awarded the ISO 9002 certification.
 
 - The company has tied up with Technology Innovative Industry of
 Italy.
 
 - The company has also launched a range of new products in the
 steriles
 category during the last quarter of 1996-97.  Five new products
 namely
 Cefazolin Sodium, Cefradine Arginine, Cefradine Sodium Carbonate,
 Cefonicid Sodium and Ceftazidime Sodium, have been introduced in the
 market.
 
 - The company is the country's largest producer of oral and sterile
 cephalosporins and has a global market share of 13 per cent with a
 capacity of 480 tonnes per annum and among the top five in the world
 for 7-ADCA (an intermediate) and oral cephalosprins based on 7-ADCA.
 
 - Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd (OCPL) is planning to
 diversify into power generation by setting up either thermal or
 hydraulic/wind/solar power plants.
 
 - OCPL, also proposes to establish a modern formulation facility
 exclusively for manufacturing sterile Cephalosporin formulations.
 
 - The company has a technical collaboration with SBD Laboratories,
 Italy for manufacture of ceftriaxone and cefotaxime and an alliance
 with the Novartis group would translate into significant long-term
 gains for the company.
 
 1998 
 
 - Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd, the bulk producer of
 cephalosporins, is entering the formulation market.  The Drug
 Controller of India has granted a licence to Cipla Ltd and Orchid
 Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals to export sildenafil citrate, the bulk
 drug that goes into Pfizer's patented anti-impotence pill Viagra.
 
 - Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd, the Chennai-based
 export-oriented pharma company, will be commissioning its captive
 power
 plant.  The installed capacity of the plant is 6.76 MW.
 
 - Orchid, along with Cipla and Ranbaxy, had recently received
 approval
 from the Drug Controller of India (DCI) for the manufacture and
 export
 of sildenafil citrate, the main ingredient in Viagra, the drug
 developed by Pfizer to treat human male erectile dysfunction.
 
 - Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals is keen to launch its branded
 version of Pfizer's blockbuster anti-impotence drug, Viagra, in
 India.
 
 - The Chennai-based Orchid Pharmaceuticals & Chemicals has `more or
 less' decided against acquiring Roussel India's
 bulk-cum-formulations
 production facility at Thane in Maharashtra.
 
 - The company is setting up a new plant for non-cephalosporins bulk
 drugs in Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu.
 
 1999
 
 - The initial range of products launched include three injectable
 cephalosporin formulations and two coprescription analgesics of the
 NSAID category.  These are Tax-O-bid (Cefotaxime injection),
 Cefogram
 (Ceftriaxone injection), Orzid (Ceftazidime injection), Orchidol
 (Tramadol tablets) and N-Ltd (Nimesulide dispersible tablets.
 
 It has proposed to launch cephalosporin antibiotics range of
 products
 in July and August, including cefoperazone injection, cephalexin
 capsules and cefadroxyl capsules and cefixme tablets and dry syrup. 
 In
 the fourth quarter of the current year two products for pain
 management
 -- meloxicam and nimesulide tramadol variants will be introduced.
 
 - Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd has tied up with foreign
 investors for funds to be invested in new technologies, research and
 development, and facilities over the next five years.
 
 - Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals has announced an equity issue
 of
 1.06 crore shares of Rs 10 each at a premium to mop us Rs 175 crore
 on
 a private placement basis.
 
 - The company is collaborating with JSS College of Pharmacy in
 Udhagamandalam in research projects to identify the active
 ingredients
 in traditional herbal medicines.
 
 - The Chennai-based Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals is
 considering
 joining the elite group of eight pharmaceutical companies who have
 recently floated the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) a lobby
 to
 influence government policy on the pharma industry.
 
 2000 
 
 - Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd has signed a memorandum
 of
 understanding (MoU) with the Mumbai-based Ajanta Pharma Ltd to
 acquire
 the latter's bulk drugs manufacturing plant located at Aurangabad,
 according to a company statement.
 
 - During the quarter under review five new products - one oral
 cephalosporin Cefixime (under the brand name of Orfix), as also a
 dispensible range of select cephalosporin antibiotics were launched.
 Four anti-hypertensives Amiodipine, Lisinopril and combinations were
 also launched.
 
 - A fire incident occured during the early hours on 16th January, in
 one of the production blocks of Orchid's bulk drug manufacturing
 facility at Althur, near Chennai.
 
 - The Company has been awarded the Trophy for Excellent Performance
 in
 Exports as part of the National Export Awards Programme, 1998-99.
 
 - The Company has entered into a joint venture with the UK-based
 Cambridge Chemicals to distribute its nutraceutical products in that
 country.
 
 - The Company is setting up a new R&D facility to work on new
 drugs/new
 variants on drugs and drug delivery systems at Alathur near Chennai.
 
 
 2001  
 
 - Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaeuticals on May 24 informed the BSE
 that
 the company has issued foreign currency convertible bonds to
 International finance Corporation for m. The bonds will be
 converted
 into equity shares at a price of Rs 220 a share within a period of
 18
 months from the date of allotment of bonds.
 
 - Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd (OCPL) proposes to expand
 the
 strength of its board to 15 from the existing level of 14, aimed at
 accommodating the representative of International Finance
 Corporation
 (IFC).
 2002
 -Narayana Reddy resigns from the Board of Orchid Chemicals & Pharma.
 
 -Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals has inked a 50:50 joint venture
 alliance pact with a California-based drug discovery research firm
 Bexel Biotechnology Inc.
 
 -Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd on September 16, 2002
 announced the induction of Mr RS Prasad as the Executive Director and
 Chief Operating Officer of Orchid Healthcare, its formulations
 division to fast-track its foray into the US and other regulated
 markets.
 
 -Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd has informed that IDBI had
 withdrawn the nomination of Shri S Gajendran and instead appointed
 Shri M V Badrinath as its nominee on the Board.
 
 2003
 
 - Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd informs that Mr A R Hedge
 Director and CEO Formulation is relinquishing  the directorship in
 Orchid effective June 6, 2003 and Mr R S Prasad will be responsible
 for all technical and manufacturing activities of Orchid's
 formulation business and Mr S Vijayraghvan will be responsible for
 all sales and marketing activities of Orchid's formulation business.
 
 -Orchid acquires Mano Pharmaceuticals for a consideration of
 Rs.26cr.
 
 -Orchid receives formal approval from US Food and Drug Administration
 for Cephalaxin.
 
 -Orchid enters a new co-marketing concept and has signed a agreement
 with 4 companies
 to boost its sales.
 
 -Orchid Chemicals Aurangabad facility awarded ISO 14001 and OHSAS
 18001
 
 2004
 
 -Orchid gets Europe drug Authority nod
 
 -Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals granted CoS for Cefotaxime
 Sodium
 
 -Orchids inks pact with Par Pharmaceuticals Inc, to market oral
 cephalosporin formulations in US market
 
 -  Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd forges alliance with
 US-based Par Pharmaceuticals to market oral cephalosporin
 antibiotics.
 
 -- Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd (Orchid) has entered into
 an agreement with Apotex Inc for an exclusive marketing pact in the
 Canadian market.
 
 -Granted the Certificate of Suitability (CoS) by the European
 Directorate for the Quality of Medicines for its API product
 Cephradine
 
 -Orchid Chem enters into US market
 
 2005
 
 -Orchid pact with Alpharma Inc to market oral non-antibiotic
 formulations in US & European markets
 
 -Orchid enters into agreement with STADA Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA)
 
 -Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd has received approval from
 USFDA for generic Ceftriaxone ANDA
 
 2006
 
 -Orchid signs deal with Biovitrum in drug discovery field.