The quintessential competitor ; Until last fortnight, things were going the way india's largest drugmaker Ranbaxy Laboratories and its boss Malvinder Singh had planned.

Until last fortnight, things were going the way india's largestdrugmaker Ranbaxy Laboratories and its boss Malvinder Singh hadplanned. In a bid to make Ranbaxy a research-based global pharmagiant, Singh had spun off the new drug discovery unit (Ranbaxy LifeScience Research) into a subsidiary. Earlier in March, the companyreceived the US Food and Drug Administration nod to sell the genericversion of Risperdal (used in the treatment of schizophrenia) in theUS. It also entered into an agreement with CD Pharma India the Asianaffiliate of US-based VSL Pharmaceuticals Inc. to market its drugInersan, used for the treatment of dental problems, in India andNepal.

But then came the …