Satish Reddy and Family

Dr. Reddy's showed that Indian companies could compete in the US generics market. The next question it is answering is whether they can compete in biosimilars.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories was founded in 1984 by K. Anji Reddy, who built the company on the premise that Indian scientists could develop generic versions of off-patent drugs and sell them into regulated markets globally at lower prices than the originators charged. That model, applied consistently over two decades, made Dr. Reddy's one of the first Indian pharmaceutical companies to gain significant revenues from the United States generics market.

Kallam Satish Reddy, who has led the company in subsequent years, has extended the product range into biosimilars, active pharmaceutical ingredients and specialty drugs, as the first-generation model of simple small-molecule generics has become more competitive and margin-pressured with the entry of more Indian and Chinese manufacturers. The company employs over 20,000 people. The LABS programme, which the Dr. Reddy's Foundation runs for underprivileged youth, is among the more methodical corporate skilling initiatives in the country, oriented toward placing graduates in employment rather than simply providing training.