By T V Padma

On the face of it, the takeover of six of Indian’s key drug firms by major foreign players in the past four years seems to be routine business. But people within the government and industry watchdogs in India have started to worry.

In 2008, Japan’s Daiichi-Sankyo took control of India’s largest drugmaker, Ranbaxy Laboratories, located about 20 miles south of New Delhi. Other Indian firms that have met a similar fate include Dabur Pharma, Shantha Biotech, Piramal Healthcare, Matrix Laboratories and Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals. Local concern grows out of the fact that these companies are major producers of cheap generic versions of essential medicines and vaccines, with wide market access in India and in other developing countries.

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Image: Michael Chen, Flickr