Ranbaxy aims to enter Guinness Book of World Records

Ranbaxy wants to create awareness amongst doctors and general public of the merits of a diet rich in vegetables. It has sent out media invites to witness its attempt (along with the Association of Physicians of India) to break into the Guinness Book of World Records by creating the biggest Heart Mosaic with vegetables, which will be held on February 21 in Ludhiana.

Ranbaxy will try to break the current record for the largest vegetable mosaic which measures 402 sq m (around 4,328 sq ft) achieved by Inami-town World Record Challenge Executive Committee (Japan) at Inamino Sports Center in Kako, Hyogo, Japan, on January 11, 2014. This is as part of the 69th Annual Conference of the Association of Physicians of India that is being organised at Ludhiana from February 20 to 23 (APICON 2014).

The invite from Ranbaxy on February 19 to witness the making of a large heart comes on a day when Ranbaxy has hit headlines for all the wrong reasons. There were reports of a settlement with the New York Attorney General. Ranbaxy and Teva have apparently agreed to together pay $ 300,000 and settle allegations that the two rival generic drug makers had entered into an unlawful agreement not to challenge each other's rights and thereby restrict competition.

Ranbaxy's spokesperson had no comment to offer on the settlement. Already the company has been having serious problems with supplies from some of its plants banned by the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA). Again, in May last year, the US Department of Justice announced that the company had pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $500 million to resolve false claims allegations, Common Good Manufacturing Practice violations and false statements to the FDA.

Interestingly, the bourses reacted positively and Ranbaxy's shares on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened on Wednesday, February 19 at Rs 355.60, touched a high of Rs 367 to close the day at Rs 362.15. That is up 3.13 per cent fom its previous close of Rs 351.15. Analyst attribute this to a possible sense of relief in the market that the financial impact on Ranbaxy was not huge.