There are days when the broader market is weak, but a handful of stocks quietly move in the other direction. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories was one of them on September 29, 2026. The Dr Reddy stock gained more than 2% and closed around ₹1,250 even as the Sensex ended lower. What stood out was not just the rise in price.
Trading volumes were also considerably higher than the stock’s recent average, suggesting that the move attracted meaningful market participation.
Pharma stocks, in general, found some buying interest during the session. But in Dr Reddy’s case, there is more happening beneath the surface. Developments around its biologics business, the changing contribution from its US portfolio and the recent improvement in price momentum are all worth watching.
So, after the recent rise, what should investors actually look at?
Why Is Dr Reddy’s Share Price Rising?
One of the immediate positives for pharmaceutical stocks came from the US decision to provide tariff relief to certain specialty pharmaceutical products and associated ingredients imported from India and other countries. That helped improve sentiment towards the sector at a time when most areas of the market were under pressure.
Dr Reddy’s, however, had already started showing strength before the broader pharma move. The stock gained more than 1% in the previous session as attention shifted towards upcoming developments in its biologics business.
This is important because the next phase of Dr Reddy’s growth story may look quite different from the one investors have seen over the past few years.
The company is moving beyond the large contribution it previously received from lenalidomide and is increasingly relying on its underlying business, new launches, complex products, peptides and biosimilars to support future growth.
Why Did Pharma Stocks Hold Up Better?
The broader market environment has not been particularly comfortable for investors. Higher crude oil prices, elevated US bond yields and continued foreign investor selling have weighed on Indian equities. On September 29, 13 of the 16 major sectors finished lower, while the Nifty 50 and Sensex also ended in negative territory.
Pharma was one of the few pockets where buying interest remained visible. The US tariff relief covering certain specialty pharmaceutical products gave the sector a positive trigger. Dr Reddy’s rose more than 2%, while several other pharmaceutical companies also attracted buying interest during the session.
For someone following the market through stock market AI, this type of sector behaviour can be useful to track. When a stock or an entire sector remains firm while the wider market is falling, it tells us where investors are currently willing to put money.
What Is Changing at Dr Reddy’s?
The latest quarterly numbers tell an important story. Dr Reddy’s reported Q1 FY27 revenue of ₹8,070.5 crore, down 5.6% year-on-year. EBITDA stood at ₹1,008.8 crore with an EBITDA margin of 12.5%, while profit attributable to equity shareholders came in at ₹443.5 crore.
At first glance, these numbers may look disappointing. But there are two major reasons behind the weakness. The company no longer has the same contribution from lenalidomide that supported the corresponding period last year. It also recognised a provision of around ₹240 crore relating to semaglutide API inventory and associated costs.
The underlying base business, excluding lenalidomide, continued to record healthy double-digit growth across key geographies, including North America. New product launches and favourable currency movements also helped the business. That underlying growth is something long-term investors may want to follow over the next few quarters.
The US Business Still Matters
North America has historically been an important market for Dr Reddy’s, but the business is now going through a transition. The decline in lenalidomide contribution means the company needs its newer products and base portfolio to do more of the heavy lifting. This is where areas such as complex generics, peptides and biosimilars become increasingly relevant.
The company is already building capabilities beyond conventional generics. Its biologics portfolio includes seven biosimilar products and one novel biologic marketed across multiple countries, while proposed biosimilars are also under review by the USFDA. If these businesses scale successfully, they could gradually reduce the dependence on a handful of high-contribution products.
Why Are Investors Watching the Biosimilars Business?
Biosimilars could become an important part of the Dr Reddy’s story over the coming years. The company has been building its biologics capabilities across oncology and immunology and is working on products intended for multiple international markets. It also has manufacturing and development capabilities covering biosimilars, novel biologics and newer areas such as cell and gene therapy.
There are also important regulatory milestones ahead. Market attention has recently been on developments around Dr Reddy’s biologics manufacturing facility and the regulatory timeline for biosimilar Abatacept. These could become meaningful triggers if the company receives the required approvals.
Investors should, however, keep one thing in mind: a regulatory milestone is an opportunity, not a certainty. Until an approval actually arrives, it remains part of the pipeline rather than realised business.
What Does the Dr Reddy’s Chart Indicate?
The stock closed around ₹1,250 on September 29 after gaining 2.25% during the session. Trading volume was around 2.6 times its recent 50-day average, which adds some weight to the price move. The stock has also been building momentum over the past few sessions.
From here, investors can watch whether Dr Reddy’s is able to sustain above its recent trading range rather than immediately assuming that one strong session marks the beginning of a fresh long-term uptrend. The ₹1,250 region becomes particularly interesting for that reason.
On the upside, the stock’s 52-week high of ₹1,414.40 remains an important reference point. The stock was still around 11.6% below that level at the September 29 close.
Investors using ai-based stock trading india platforms may find technical signals useful for identifying momentum, but price charts should ideally be read alongside earnings, valuations, business developments and sector conditions.
What Could Support Dr Reddy’s From Here?
There are a few things investors can keep an eye on over the coming quarters. Improvement in the underlying base business would be the first. With the lenalidomide contribution declining, growth from existing products and new launches becomes increasingly important.
Progress in biosimilars is another area worth watching. Regulatory approvals and successful commercial launches could open up additional opportunities for the company. The North American business will remain equally important. Investors will want to see whether newer products can gradually compensate for the revenue that has disappeared from older high-contribution products.
And finally, margins need attention. The semaglutide-related provision affected Q1 profitability, while higher operating costs also added pressure. A recovery in margins would make the earnings picture healthier.
Is Dr Reddy’s Stock Worth Watching Now?
Dr Reddy’s certainly has more going on than its recent 2% rise suggests. The stock is showing better price momentum, the pharma sector has received a favourable near-term trigger, and the company has several developments coming up in its biologics pipeline.
At the same time, the business is going through a transition. The contribution from lenalidomide has reduced significantly, recent profitability has been under pressure and the company now needs its broader portfolio and newer businesses to drive the next phase of growth.
For long-term investors, the more important question is therefore not whether Dr Reddy’s can rise another 2% or 5% in the next few sessions. It is whether earnings growth, margins and new product opportunities can eventually support the improvement being seen in the stock price.
Conclusion
A stock can have good fundamentals and still be unsuitable for a particular portfolio.
For example, someone who already owns several pharmaceutical companies may not need another pharma stock even if Dr Reddy’s looks attractive. Another investor may have very little healthcare exposure and arrive at a completely different allocation. That is why stock selection is only one part of investing.
Jarvis Invest is a SEBI Registered Investment Advisor that uses AI-powered analysis to build personalised long-term equity portfolios based on an investor’s risk profile and investment requirements.
For investors searching for the best ai app for trading in india, it may therefore be more useful to look beyond daily stock calls and understand whether the platform can help analyse stocks as part of a complete portfolio.