Though it had already zeroed in on an American company to partner it in the area of bulks, the deal, sources said, would fructify only after Nicholas Piramal's manufacturing facility at Pithampur, in Madhya Pradesh, receives a US FDA certification.

While the US partner is expected to hold majority control in Global Bulk Drugs and Fine Chemicals, sources say that the US FDA certification could be expected by the close of the current year.

Nicholas Piramal had, on April 1, 1998, spun off its flaconnage (pharmaceutical glass containers) division, Gujarat Glass and its bulk drugs unit into separate entities. Both entities are subsidiaries of Nicholas Piramal, though Global Bulk Drugs & Chemicals is 100 per cent owned by NP.

In 1998-99, Global Bulk Drugs managed to prune losses from Rs 13.38crore in the previous year, to Rs 5.98 crore. The company said that this was largely due to focused revamp efforts and an improvement in production processes leading to higher yields.Meanwhile, the company plans to launch only by January 2000, the four pharmaceutical brands acquired from American multinational Eli Lilly & Co. The deal, which fructified earlier this year, forms part of the Ajay Piramal group's strategy to strengthen and build its brand portfolio dotted with popular brands like Lact-Calamine (from Duphar Interfran) and Burnol and Dettol (via its joint venture with Reckitt & Colman).

The Eli Lilly anti-infective brands involved are believed to be Tobraneg (tobramycin) to treat infections of the respiratory tract, central nervous system, Vancocin (vancomycin) for treatment of life-threatening staphylococcal infections resistant to other antibiotics, besides others like Distaclor and Keflex.