Year: 2008

Sun TV Network has informed us that the company has launched its FM radio stations at Allahabad and Jabalpur under the brand ‘S FM‘ from 18 March 2008 and 19 March 2008 respectively through its subsidiary South Asia. These stations can be heard at 93.5 MHz frequency in Allahabad and Jabalpur and will cater to the audience of all age groups.

With the launch of these FM stations, the total operational FM stations of Sun TV goes up to 27 as it already operates at Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Visakhapatnam, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Tirupati, Madurai, Tuticorin, Lucknow, Bhopal, Pondicherry, Kozhilkode, Indore, Vijayawada, Varanasi, Tiruchy, Rajahmundry, Kanpur, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Mangalore and Kannur.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has informed us that USFDA has granted approval for ANDA to market a generic version of medimmune’s ethyol, amifostine for injection 500mg.

This generic amifostine for injection is therapeutically equivalent to medimmune’s ethyol amifostine for injection 500mg. Ethyol has annual sales of approximately US$ 80 million in the US.

Sun Pharma, being the first-to-file an ANDA for generic ethyol with a para IV certification, has a 180-day marketing exclusivity.

Amifostine is used as an adjuvant in cancer treatment. Sun Pharma’s amifostine for Injection will be indicated for the reduction of kidney damage in patients who have advanced ovarian cancer and are being given repeat doses of cisplatin.

Caught in the sub-prime web, FIIs are unwinding their positions in Shangri-La companies like Reliance Energy, Jai Corp etc. Here is what they have sold.

Merrill Lynch Cap-Espana
Reliance Energy 3.40 mn shares
Jai Corp 2.65 mn shares

Citigroup Global-Mauritius sold
Ruchi Soya 2.50 mn shares
Jet Airways 0.50 mn shares

Goldman Sachs sold
Indian Overseas Bk 18.96 mn shares
Punjab National Bk 15.26 mn shares

BSMA has sold
Sonata Software 2.10 mn shares
Dabur Pharma 1.31 mn shares

Details here.

Here is the Sub-prime hall of shame. Bank followed by write-offs till date.

• Merrill Lynch $24.4 bln
• UBS $18.4 bln
• Citigroup $18.1 bln
• Carlyle Capital $16.6 bln – Debt Defaults
• Morgan Stanley $9.4 bln
• Bank of America $5.3 bln
• Capital One $4.9-5.5 bln Credit losses
• Soc Gen $4.2bn Sub Prime Asset Mgmt
• RBS $4.2 bn – Investment Banking
• Citigroup Consumer Loans $4.1 bn
• Barclays $3.1 bn
• Credit Suisse $2.85 bn – Asset backed investment
• HSBC $2.1 bn – Mortgages
• Bear Stearns $1.9 bn
• Wachovia $1.5 bn – Credit losses
• JP Morgan $1.3 bn

More expected at the end of March quarter, 2008.

We had an exclusive market research on the market share of private life insurance companies in India. Data indicated in the research is as of Feb-2008. The top 5 private life insurance companies in India are,

• ICICI Prudential Life Insurance
• Bajaj Allianz
• SBI Life [Part of the SBI group, though no direct interference of Govt of India]
• HDFC Standard Life
• Reliance Life

Market share of other insurance companies is as shown above in the pie-chart.