IOC is looking at equity partnership with companies like Saudi Aramco and Kuwait Petroleum, who can supply crude oil to the Paradip refinery project in Orissa which has an annual capacity of 15 million tonnes

State-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) on Wednesday said that it is looking at equity partnership with companies like Saudi Aramco and Kuwait Petroleum for its Rs29,777-crore Paradip refinery project in Orissa, reports PTI.

"Thinking (of inducting equity partners) is on. We are thinking of offering equity to someone who can bring synergy to the project," IOC chairman BM Bansal told reporters in New Delhi.

IOC is looking at companies which can supply crude oil to the 15 million tonnes a year refinery that is scheduled to be completed by March 2012.

Companies like Saudi Aramco, the world's largest crude oil producer, and Kuwait Petroleum Corp may fit into the scheme as oil suppliers to the project.

"So far, discussions have not taken place with anyone but we will like to begin them soon," he said. "Strategically, we wanted to offer equity (closer to project completion) at a premium, but if financial problems persist we will have to advance it," Mr Bansal added.

IOC wants someone who can commit long-term crude supply as equity partner. "But so far nothing concrete has happened," he said.

IOC had last year signed a loan agreement with a consortium of lenders led by State Bank of India for term loan of Rs14,900 crore for the project.

Mr Bansal said IOC is targeting commissioning of the refinery in the first quarter of 2012. The company had some time back split the refinery-cum-petrochemical complex into two, deciding to complete the refinery first and follow with the chemical unit.

The Paradip refinery is being configured to process the toughest, heaviest and the dirtiest crudes which are cheaper than the cleaner and easier varieties.

The refinery will have a Nelson Complexity Index of 15.
 

The pharmaceutical company has failed to get the US FDA’s approval for launching the generic version of Flomax, thereby missing the opportunity to launch the drug in America with exclusive marketing rights

Pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, a unit of Japan's Daiichi Sankyo Co, on Wednesday said that it has failed to get the US health regulator's nod for launching a generic version of Flomax, a prostrate drug, thereby missing the opportunity to launch the drug in America with exclusive marketing rights, reports PTI.

Flomax is a patent medicine from Japanese drug maker Astella Pharma's portfolio and the drug is also known by its generic name—Tamsulosin hydrochloride.

"We regret that, despite our best efforts, we were not able to get an approval for the product (Flomax), and hence will not be in a position to launch the product," a Ranbaxy spokesperson said.

Earlier in 2007, Ranbaxy Laboratories had signed an agreement with Astellas and Boehringer Ingelheim for ending the patent litigation regarding Flomax drug in US courts.

Under the terms of the agreement, Ranbaxy was supposed to enter the US market on 2 March 2010, eight weeks prior to expiration of the paediatric exclusivity.

During the period of paediatric exclusivity, Ranbaxy would have been the only generic manufacturer to commercialise this product in the US market.

However, the Gurgaon-based company has failed to get the approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is mandatory before launching the drug in the American market. Thus, the company missed an opportunity to launch the drug in the US market with exclusivity.

The total annual sales of Flomax are estimated to be $1.20 billion in the US.
 

Ess Dee Aluminium’s proposed merger scheme is stacked heavily against India Foils’ minority shareholders and the recent spurt in trading volumes of India Foils is highly dubious

The minority shareholders of Kolkata-based aluminium foils maker India Foils have been given a raw deal under the proposed merger scheme with packaging solutions provider Ess Dee Aluminium Ltd. In what appears to be another case of absolute apathy and discrimination against minority shareholders, the management of Ess Dee Aluminium has put a ridiculously low valuation on India Foils that will leave these shareholders high and dry.

Apparently, Ess Dee Aluminium is pushing for a share-swap ratio of 1,285:1 that means shareholders of India Foils will have to surrender their 1285 shares to get a single share of Ess Dee. When the same is calculated with Ess Dee’s current share price of Rs400 per share, the value of each India Foils share comes out to be a paltry 31 paise only. That too when during the last eight months, India Foils’ shares have been trading between Rs12-Rs16 per share.

According to an extra-ordinary general meeting (EGM) notice sent to shareholders, Mumbai-based chartered accountant firm MP Chitale and Co did the valuation for the merger.

In November 2008, Ess Dee bought a majority stake in India Foils for Rs130 crore from Anil Agrawal led Vedanta group as part of the rehabilitation scheme approved by the Board for Industrial & Financial Reconstruction (BIFR). Now Ess Dee wants to merge India Foils with itself and has proposed the merger scheme with 1285:1 ratio. Since Ess Dee promoters already hold 89.4% stake in India Folis, they are ‘forcing’ the merger on other minority shareholders, said an investor.

According to Hirjee Nagarwalla, a shareholder, he had held shares of India Foils for a long period. “When Ess Dee took controlling stake in India Foils, no open offer was made to the public. Then in 2009, Ess Dee announced that it would merge India Foils with itself. About a month ago, shareholders were notified that the merger ratio has been fixed at 1285:1. In effect, the value of India Foils has been put at 31 paise, when its average traded price for last one year is Rs14. Minority shareholders like me would be left with nothing,” he said.

An email sent to Ess Dee Aluminium officials remained unanswered till the time of writing the story.

India Foils’ shares last traded on the Bombay Stock Exchange on 19 September 2008 at Rs12.95. Before its last trading, the 52-week average share price of India Foils was Rs10.31 per share at the lowest end and Rs30.05 at the highest end. The shares remained untraded till its relisting on 19 June 2009 and on that day it rose to a high of Rs23.95 and a low of Rs17.41. On Wednesday, India Foils closed at Rs7.50, down 3.97% on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), while the benchmark Sensex closed 1.36% higher at 17,000 points.

The minority shareholders also brought to light the heavy trading being carried out in India Foils’ shares. In middle of January 2010, India Foils’ shares surged to Rs20 on heavy volumes. Soon after that, the share witnessed a freefall. The share volumes have seen a sudden spurt, compared to its average volumes over the last few months. This sudden rise and fall in the share price, supported by higher volumes, suggests foul play.

Indeed, if Ess Dee goes ahead and completes the merger with India Foils at the proposed valuation, it will put minority shareholders at a loss. If it decides not to carry out the merger or the swap ratio is altered, then the trading in India Foils’ shares should raise some eyebrows. People who have been buying at low prices will benefit. Either way, the on-goings in this case demand careful scrutiny by the regulator.