BENGALURU (Reuters) - Indian pharmaceutical firm Ipca Laboratories Ltd said on Monday it has agreed to buy a 33.38% stake in Unichem Laboratories Ltd for up to 10.34 billion rupees ($126.26 million).

Unichem's core business includes manufacturing branded generic drugs, while Ipca primarily makes active pharmaceutical ingredients or key biologically active elements in a drug that help achieve the desired health effects.

As part of the deal, Unichem's board will approve the appointment of three nominees of Ipca as additional directors, Unichem said in a separate statement.

Shares of Ipca closed 1.7% lower and Unichem's shares settled 3% higher on Monday, ahead of the acquisition announcement.

($1 = 81.8920 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Biplob Kumar Das in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)