India's Dr. Reddy's Laboratories's Says to Buy Dowpharma Units

India's Dr. Reddy's Laboratories's Says to Buy Dowpharma Units

4/1/2008

HYDERABAD, India -- Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with The Dow Chemical Company to acquire a portion of Dowpharma Small Molecules business associated with its United Kingdom sites in Mirfield and Cambridge. The financial terms and conditions of the transaction are not being disclosed at this point in time. The transaction is scheduled to close on April 30, 2008 pending regulatory approval.

The acquisition will include the relevant business, customer contracts, associated products, process technology, intellectual property, trademarks as well as the transfer of the facilities at Mirfield and Cambridge in the United Kingdom. The two sites and the business employ around 80 people. Dr. Reddy’s will also have a non-exclusive license to Dow’s Pfenex Expression Technology™ for biocatalysis development.

Satish Reddy, Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, said, “The proprietary chiral and biocatalysis technology at the Cambridge site and the scale up capability in the Mirfield site will add significant value to the company. This acquisition will also bring strengths in industrial synthesis of complex prostaglandins and carbohydrate chemistry. These newer capabilities will add to our existing R&D and commercial infrastructure to position Dr. Reddy’s as a leading provider of Custom Pharmaceutical Services globally.”

Disclaimer

This press release includes forward-looking statements, as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially. Such factors include, but are not limited to, changes in local and global economic conditions, our ability to successfully implement our strategy, the market acceptance of and demand for our products, our growth and expansion, technological change and our exposure to market risks. By their nature, these expectations and projections are only estimates and could be materially different from actual results in the future.

About Dr. Reddy’s

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories was established in 1984 in Hyderabad, India, and is a global pharmaceutical company with proven research capabilities. Dr. Reddy’s conducts research in the areas of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, anti-infectives and inflammation. The Indian based company produces finished dosage forms, active pharmaceutical ingredients and biotechnology products which are marketed globally, with focus on India, US, Europe and Russia. (www.drreddys.com [1])

About The Dow Chemical Company

With annual sales of $54 billion and 46,000 employees worldwide, Dow is a diversified chemical company that combines the power of science and technology with the "Human Element” to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. The Company delivers a broad range of products and services to customers in around 160 countries, connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com [2].