Geneva - The Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, maker of influenza medication Tamiflu, saw its stock price rise 3.6 per cent in trading late Monday afternoon on the Zurich exchange on the back of the global swine flu outbreak. During the avian flu epidemic the drug was used heavily, particularly in South Asia.

Shares in Roche were trading at close to 145 Swiss francs (126 dollars), up over five francs since the opening.

Leading drug maker Cipla on Friday reported 40.94% surge in its net profit for the fourth quarter ended March 31.

The company posted net profit of Rs 252.92 crore, against Rs 179.45 crore in the same quarter ended March 31, 2008.

Further, during the quarter, total operating income of the company rose to Rs 1,366.74 crore, as against Rs 1,122.10 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal.

For the full-year ended March, the company posted a net profit of Rs 767 crore, as compared to Rs 701 crore in the corresponding period last year

Covidien, a $10 billion global healthcare products leader, has announced its entry into the Indian healthcare market with the establishment of its headquarters at Gurgaon.

The company intends to collaborate with the region's healthcare providers to offer its cutting-edge medical solutions and services throughout the country.

According to sources, Covidien will setup three 'dry labs' this year to initiate training programmes for medical practitioners in the country. In addition, it will also introduce some of its patented products in India.

Exhibiting one of its worst quarterly performances ever, Ranbaxy Laboratories – now owned by Japanese firm Daiichi Sankyo - has posted its third straight quarter of losses, for the quarter ended March 31, 2009.

Citing foreign exchange instability, a 14 percent drop in its US market, and pricing strain in key markets, Ranbaxy posted a net loss of Rs 761 crore during the quarter – a dramatic turnaround from the Rs 153 crore net profit figures in 2008. In the previous two quarters, Ranbaxy posted losses of Rs 680 crore and Rs 394 crore.

Shantha Biotechnics, a pioneer in the biotechnology field, has made announcement about the launching of its bivalent oral cholera vaccine, 'Shanchol'.

Shanchol, which is believed to the first of its kind in the world, will be launched on Sunday during a two-day seminar on Continuous Medical Education (CME) of National Infectious Diseases organized by Indian Academy of Pediatrics at Kolkata.

Piramal Healthcare on Friday informed that its consolidated net profit slipped 13.49% to Rs 114.90 crore in the fourth quarter ended 31 March, 2009, over the corresponding period a year ago.

The pharmaceutical firm had posted a net profit of Rs 132.82 crore in the March quarter of FY'08.

However, company’s net sales surged 9.34 per cent at Rs 850.91 crore in the March quarter, against Rs 778.20 crore in the same period last fiscal.