The pharmaceutical market in Russia managed to grow by more than 25% in 2009 despite the economic downturn. But domestic producers are still losing out to their foreign rivals.

In one stroke, Swiss pharma giant Novartis AG could break into the league of top five players in the Rs 600-crore plus Indian eyecare market from its current position at 13, if its takeover of Alcon goes through seamlessly and eventually results in integration of Alcon India into the Indian arm of Novartis. Such a combined entity of Novartis and Alcon would then command a marketshare of 7.5% in the domestic eyecare market, just 1.4% less compared with the third and fourth ranked companies, FDC and Sun Pharma, which command 8.9% marketshare each.

Strides Acrolabs, which struck a drug supply deal with Pfizer on Wednesday, said it is discussing similar drug supply deal for niche therapeutics areas with global drug pharma companies. The Bangalore-based company will start getting part of the money from its deal with Pfizer this quarter onwards and that such deals would drive its future growth, a senior company executive said.

Lilliputs keep cropping up here and there, but can Gulliver be ignored?