The Weekly News Update is a weekly roundup of business news from around the Asia-Pacific region, covering Fusion Consulting's core industry practices: chemicals, consumer & retail, financial services, industrial & logistics, information & communication technology, life science and media & leisure. If you have colleagues or friends who may be interested in subscribing, please forward this email to them and copy knowledge@fusionc.com.  Life science

India - Ranbaxy to tie up with Merck Source: Business Standard, 10 May 2008 India's leading drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories is likely to announce a drug discovery research tie-up with US drug manufacturer Merck soon. The research deal will be operationalised through Ranbaxy's de-merged research and development entity, Ranbaxy Life Science Research. According to sources, the collaboration with Merck will be in the area of early drug discovery. The rising cost of drug development in traditional research bases such as the US and Europe has forced global pharma firms to look at research tie-ups in low cost destinations. Philippines - Indian pharmaceutical firm to set up shop Source: BusinessWorld, 12 May 2008 Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd., India's third biggest pharmaceutical firm, is expected to soon enter the P76-billion (US$1.8 billion) Philippines market through a distribution deal that will take advantage of government policy allowing the entry of cheaper medicines. Accessibility of quality and affordable medicines is among the pressing issues in the Philippines today. The company is initially targeting cardiology, diabetology, gastroenterology and pain management. The first phase will see brands like Omez (0meprazole), Stamlo M (amlodipine maleate), Resilo (losartan), Reclide (gliclazide), Cardiopril (ramipril), Rafree (meloxicam), Ciprolet (ciprofloxacin), and Finast (finasteride) being introduced to the Philippines. Vietnam - Government gaining more control on the pharmaceutical market Source: Business Wire, 13 May 2008 After years of poor regulation and IP protection, the Vietnamese government has started to gain more control in the the administration of drugs in the market, particularly in the area of price control. In 2007, the MoH has come down hard on 13 companies that raised the price of drugs without permission from the VDA, an agency under the MoH, and issued a warning that such firms risk penalties such as fines, or worse still, have their operating licences revoked. IP laws are still poor, and the Vietnamese drug industry, which has little R&D and makes mainly copycat drugs, supplies 40% of the market. The government is keen to encourage the local industry to supply around 60% of the market, therefore it is not in the best interest of the government to pursue IP laws as aggressively as price control mechanisms.     View an example of our experience in this industry. Back to list of articles.  Visit our new website to sign up for free intelligence on Asian markets.

This Weekly News Update is a free newsletter, providing a round-up of the week's Asia-Pacific news from our core industry practices. If you have colleagues or friends who may be interested in subscribing, please forward this email to them and copy knowledge@fusionc.com.

Fusion Consulting is a business intelligence consultancy providing clear strategic advice on Asia-Pacific markets. With offices in Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong and 400 industry consultants in 16 countries, we conduct custom research and consulting to help companies understand their markets, compete more effectively and grow into new areas of opportunity. Email more@fusionc.com or visit www.fusionc.com for more information.