Sandoz gunning for Polpharma's top spot in generic drugs sector

The company took over the German generic drugs producer Hexal as well as Slovenian firm Lek. Despite earlier statements, it will keep the two brands active on the Polish market, rather than changing their names to Sandoz. "Lek and Hexal are widely recognized and our aim is to win the top position among the generic companies," said Andrzej Trzeciakowski, president of Sandoz's Polish c ompanies. Lek and Hexal's combined annual turnover is $150 million and their share in the market totals 4%. This places them in second position after the market leader Polpharma, which has a market share of 5.34%.  The reorg anization of the companies will be completed by the end of 2006. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 10) E.B.