The acquisition was accomplished through the Indian company's wholly owned subsidiary in the country.

The company said the purchase greatly strengthened its presence in the Thai oncology generics market, where it is already the leader.

It will allow Dabur to significantly extend its reach and presence.

"Acquiring the sales and distribution channel is another important step in the oncology-led growth strategy that we are actively pursuing," said Dr Anand Burman, chairman of Dabur Pharma.

Chief operating officer Ajay Vij said the move was in line with the company's strategy of expanding its oncology foothold in the various markets it operates in.

The oncology market in Thailand is estimated to be growing at the rate of 25 per cent. Dabur, which entered the market in 1999, is currently growing at 29 per cent and has a market share of about 17 per cent among the generic companies.

AirAsia drive

AirAsia is launching a major regional marketing campaign by offering one million free seats for its six hubs - Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Johor in Malaysia, and Bangkok and Jakarta.

All free seats will be available for online booking only.

Kathleen Tan, executive vice president for commercial affairs at AirAsia, said yesterday it was the second major regional free-seats campaign - the timing coinciding with Visit Malaysia Year 2007.

"At AirAsia, we remain truly committed to our brand promise of 'Now everyone can fly'," she said.

An advertising budget is in place to aggressively promote the 10-day campaign in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Macau, China, Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia and Burma, she said.

Free seats are based on a first-come, first-served basis. More than 80 routes that AirAsia flies across 10 countries will be available for free-seat bookings.

This massive regional campaign is now available to the public online at ww.airasia.com for the booking period until January 19, for travel between April 1 and October 27.