Latest news with #JanAushad
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Move to close Jan Aushad centres in government hospitals in Karnataka irks MLC
MLC A. H. Vishwanath has criticised the State Government's reported move to close down Jan Aushad centres operating in government-run hospitals in Karnataka. Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on May 26, Mr. Vishwanath said the Jan Aushad centres are helping a large number of poor patients by ensuring medicine at affordable rates. Any move to close them down will hit the poor patients hard, the former Minister said. He accused the State Government of closing Jan Aushad centres, which are part of the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jan Aushadi Pariyojana of the government of India, as they feature a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 'Is it fair to close them down because they have the photograph of the Prime Minister? Tomorrow, if Rahul Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister, will you have it removed?' Mr. Vishwanath referred to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases, with three persons from Mysuru testing positive, and called upon the government to take all necessary steps in this regard. As a large number of people had suffered on account of coronavirus, the MLC asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to direct all the Ministers in charge of districts to personally visit district hospitals to ensure there are enough beds and medicine to tackle the disease. He advised the State Government to ensure that sufficient oxygen cylinders are available, and pointed out that about 30 people had died due to lack of oxygen in Chamarajanagar during the pandemic. NITI Aayog Mr Vishwanath targeted Mr. Siddaramaiah for skipping the NITI Aayog meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. When all the Chief Ministers of the country are members of NITI Aayog under the federal system, Mr. Siddaramaiah's decision to skip the meeting will affect Karnataka from the economic perspective. Claiming that the Chief Minister's economic advisor Basavaraj Rayareddy had stated that Mr. Siddaramaiah should have attended the meeting, Mr. Vishwanath wondered what was the important 'pre-occupation' that forced the Chief Minister to miss the NITI Aayog meeting. 'He was here in Mysuru inaugurating a Indira Canteen. Is inaugurating Indira Canteen more important than attending the NITI Aayog meeting?' Taking exception to the 'waste of public money' by paying ₹6.5 crore to actor Tamannaah Bhatia for becoming the brand ambassador for Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), Mr. Vishwanath pointed out that late Puneeth Rajkumar had become the brand ambassador for Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) without taking a single rupee. 'When Karnataka has so many good actors, including Aishwarya Rai, what was the need to sign Tamannaah Bhatia?'
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Business Standard
09-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Dr Reddy's Q4 results: Profit rises 22% to ₹1,594 crore on record revenue
Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) posted a 22 per cent year-on-year rise in consolidated profit after tax for the fourth quarter of 2024–25 to ₹1,593.9 crore, as revenues rose 20 per cent to ₹8,506 crore. The Ebitda for the quarter stood at ₹2,474.9 crore, or 29 per cent of revenues. DRL's stock was up 0.67 per cent in Friday's trade on the BSE. This marked the company's highest-ever quarterly revenues and profits in a fourth quarter. Sequentially, revenues were up 2 per cent, while PAT rose 13 per cent. Gross margins for the quarter came in at 55.6 per cent, lower by around 300 basis points compared to both Q3FY25 and Q4FY24. For the full year, PAT was ₹5,654.4 crore, up 2 per cent, as revenue grew 17 per cent to ₹32,553.5 crore. The Ebitda for the year came in at ₹9,213.3 crore, or 28.3 per cent of revenues. The company said that underlying revenue growth, excluding the Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) business, was 12 per cent year-on-year. DRL had acquired Haleon's global NRT business (excluding the US), and the deal was completed last year. 'The performance was driven by contributions from the acquired NRT business, complemented by steady growth across our core businesses—Global Generics and Pharmaceutical Services and Active Ingredients (PSAI),' it said. The capital expenditure for the full fiscal was ₹2,699 crore, up from ₹1,517 crore in FY24. Research and development (R&D) expenses for the quarter were 8.5 per cent of revenues, down from 9.7 per cent in Q4FY24. Co-chairman and managing director G V Prasad said: 'We achieved double-digit growth across our businesses, driven by successful product launches, increased revenues from key products in the US and the integration of the acquired NRT business. We will continue to strengthen and grow our core businesses through portfolio management and operational excellence, while pursuing strategic partnerships and inorganic growth opportunities.' The global generics business grew by 23 per cent during the quarter, with North America rising 9 per cent. The European generics business reported strong performance at ₹1,275 crore, up 145 per cent, including ₹597.1 crore in revenues from the NRT business for Q4FY25. The company said underlying growth for Europe, excluding the NRT business, was 30 per cent year-on-year. The company noted that price erosion remained stable for mature products in the US, where DRL grew 3.9 per cent, slightly ahead of the generic market's 3.8 per cent growth. It also divested its Shreveport manufacturing facility in Louisiana during the quarter. DRL chief executive officer Erez Israeli told reporters that the company is open to maintaining a manufacturing footprint in the US, but there is nothing concrete at the moment. The generics businesses in India and emerging markets grew by 16 per cent each. The PSAI business also grew by 16 per cent during the quarter. DRL launched 23 brands in India in FY25 and also participated in the Government of India's Jan Aushadhi programme with one of its products.
