** Shares of Vijaya Diagnostic Centre Ltd VIJA.NS fall as
much as 5.5% to 416.90 rupees, their biggest intraday pct drop
since Dec. 22
** VIJA reports 35.3% drop in Q3 consolidated net profit as
revenue remains flat and expenses rise 18%
** Diagnostic services firm's results in line with rivals
Dr. Lal Pathlabs Ltd DLPA.NS and Metropolis Healthcare Ltd
METP.NS
** Medical diagnostic firms have seen COVID income shrink
over past few quarters
** More than 131,000 shares change hands by 2:55 p.m. IST,
1.1x their 30-day avg volume
** Stock up 0.9% so far this year
(Reporting by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru)
((Nandan.Mandayam@thomsonreuters.com; Mobile: +91 9591011727;))