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

Total income increased from Rs 4,271 crore for the year ended March 31, 2008 to Rs 5,338 crore for the year ended March 31, 2009.

Shares of the company gained Rs 8.3, or 3.59%, to settle at Rs 239.35. The total volume of shares traded was 412,563.00 at the BSE (Friday).