Sun Pharma eyes expansion global consumer healthcare space

Hyderabad: Pharmaceutical major Sun Pharma is looking to expand its business in the global consumer healthcare space and is not averse to acquiring new brands, a top company executive said today.

"Overall, we are going to look at our portfolio approach, we are certainly going to look at creating mega brands and making the smaller brands big," Subodh Marwah, VP and Head, Global Consumer Healthcare, told reporters here.

"We are constantly on the look out for opportunities and whatever options there may be. The idea for us is to grow our brands. We see Revital and Volini as mega brands in the country.

"We want to bring in more formats, newer extensions, newer programmes etc to make them big. I think whatever the smaller brands that we got in the portfolio, we will certainly look at the opportunities as to the segments that they play and what is the role they can play," Marwah said when asked on plans for the small brand division.

The company today announced the roll-out of new 'Volini Spray with 360 degree technology' with tennis star and brand ambassador Sania Mirza present on the occasion.

The 'topical pain relief' category, comprising products like gels, balms and sprays, is worth to about Rs 2,500 crore in India, he said.

The category is growing fairly well in the country over the last three years, he said.

Within the pain relief segment, Volini has close to 13 per cent market share in the country, he claimed.

To a poser on plans to acquire new brands, Marwah said they are on the look out for opportunities and that there is nothing specific on the matter.

"As I said, we are constantly on the look out for opportunities. If there is an opportunity which fits in with our strategy, with our business outlook and our portfolio, we may look at it at that point in time. But, there is nothing specific I can talk about," he said.