Drugmaker Sun Pharma’s investment in research and development stood at ₹792 crore, for the three months ended September 30th 2024., or 6 per cent of sales. It’s research spending was ₹773 crore in the same period last year.

Specialty products accounted for 38 per cent of the total research spending in the quarter under review, said Dilip Shanghvi, Sun Pharma Chairman and Managing Director. The financial year FY 2025, though, would end with research spending of 7-8 per cent of sales, Shanghvi told analysts, after the company announced its financial performance for the quarter under review. This indicated a pick-up from the first half’s research spends of 6.2 per cent of sales. While its research spends were across both specialty and generic businesses, its specialty R&D pipeline includes seven molecules undergoing clinical trials, the company said.

The company clocked gross sales of ₹13264 crore for the quarter under review, up 10.5 per cent over its performance in the same period last year . Net profit for the quarter was ₹3040 crore, up 28 per cent over last year’s performance.

“Sun has recently strengthened its specialty pipeline through an agreement with Philogen for commercialising late stage candidate Fibromun, upon approval. With Fibromun, our product basket for dermatologists has expanded further. We shall continue to leverage our strong cash position to strengthen our pipeline with products that are close to market,” Shanghvi said.