Indian drug maker Piramal Healthcare Ltd, which is presently scouting for acquisitions in the US and Europe, expects the same level of growth during the current fiscal year as it witnessed in the in FY09.

The company expect to buy 2-3 companies in advanced markets like the US and Europe.

Apart from acquisitions, the company has also decided to hire 300-400 professionals in the super-specialty marketing division, by the end of this year across the country, taking its total employee base to 7,400.

The company had last year employed 1,500 people in the country for its mass marketing division.

Informing regarding company's upcoming new drug products, a senior company official said that presently 14 new drugs are in the pipeline, out of which 8 have cleared pre-clinical stage. In addition, the company has also applied for regulatory approval for phase II B clinical trials in three countries-- Australia, USA and India.

When asked about the recent reports of stake sale, the officials ruled out any proposal to sell stake in Piramal Healthcare or Piramal Life Sciences Ltd.