<?xml version="1.0" encoding="us-ascii"?><InstanceReport xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"><Version>2.4.0.8</Version><ReportLongName>122 - Disclosure - Related party transactions</ReportLongName><DisplayLabelColumn>true</DisplayLabelColumn><ShowElementNames>false</ShowElementNames><RoundingOption /><HasEmbeddedReports>false</HasEmbeddedReports><Columns><Column FlagID="0"><Id>1</Id><IsAbstractGroupTitle>false</IsAbstractGroupTitle><LabelSeparator>

</LabelSeparator><CurrencyCode /><FootnoteIndexer /><hasSegments>false</hasSegments><hasScenarios>false</hasScenarios><MCU><KeyName /><CurrencySymbol /><contextRef><ContextID>eol_PE715633--1310-Q0007_STD_181_20130630_0</ContextID><EntitySchema>http://www.sec.gov/CIK</EntitySchema><EntityValue>0001369786</EntityValue><PeriodDisplayName /><PeriodType>duration</PeriodType><PeriodStartDate>2013-01-01T00:00:00</PeriodStartDate><PeriodEndDate>2013-06-30T00:00:00</PeriodEndDate><Segments /><Scenarios /></contextRef><UPS /><CurrencyCode /><OriginalCurrencyCode /></MCU><CurrencySymbol /><Labels><Label Key="CalendarSupplement" Id="0" Label="6 Months Ended" /><Label Key="Calendar" Id="1" Label="Jun. 30, 2013" /></Labels></Column></Columns><Rows><Row FlagID="0"><Id>1</Id><IsAbstractGroupTitle>false</IsAbstractGroupTitle><LabelSeparator>

</LabelSeparator><Level>4</Level><ElementName>us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsDisclosureTextBlock</ElementName><ElementPrefix>us-gaap_</ElementPrefix><IsBaseElement>true</IsBaseElement><BalanceType>na</BalanceType><PeriodType>duration</PeriodType><IsReportTitle>false</IsReportTitle><IsSegmentTitle>false</IsSegmentTitle><IsCalendarTitle>false</IsCalendarTitle><IsEquityPrevioslyReportedAsRow>false</IsEquityPrevioslyReportedAsRow><IsEquityAdjustmentRow>false</IsEquityAdjustmentRow><IsBeginningBalance>false</IsBeginningBalance><IsEndingBalance>false</IsEndingBalance><IsReverseSign>false</IsReverseSign><PreferredLabelRole>terseLabel</PreferredLabelRole><FootnoteIndexer /><Cells><Cell FlagID="0" ContextID="eol_PE715633--1310-Q0007_STD_181_20130630_0" UnitID=""><Id>1</Id><IsNumeric>false</IsNumeric><IsRatio>false</IsRatio><DisplayZeroAsNone>false</DisplayZeroAsNone><NumericAmount>0</NumericAmount><RoundedNumericAmount>0</RoundedNumericAmount><NonNumbericText>&lt;div&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-TOP: 18px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"&gt;&lt;font style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman" size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Note 16.&amp;#xA0;Related
party transactions:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-TOP: 6px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"&gt;&lt;font style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman" size="2"&gt;As of June&amp;#xA0;30, 2013
and December&amp;#xA0;31, 2012, respectively, we had a receivable of
$2,954 and $1,404 from Sagent Agila LLC, which is expected to
offset future profit-sharing payments. As of June&amp;#xA0;30, 2013 and
December&amp;#xA0;31, 2012, respectively, we had a payable of $3,406
and $7,026 to Sagent Agila LLC, principally for the acquisition of
inventory and amounts due under profit-sharing arrangements. During
the three and six months ended June&amp;#xA0;30, 2013, Sagent Agila LLC
distributed $882 and $2,734, respectively, of profit sharing
receipts to its joint venture partners. As the Sagent Agila joint
venture had sufficient cumulative earnings at June&amp;#xA0;30, 2013,
our share of the distribution for the six months ended
June&amp;#xA0;30, 2013 has been treated as a dividend received in the
condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-TOP: 12px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"&gt;&lt;font style="FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman" size="2"&gt;Prior to our acquisition of
the remaining 50% equity interest in KSCP, we had committed to
funding cash shortfalls of the joint venture through
September&amp;#xA0;30, 2013 while discussions occurred between the two
joint venture partners on the long-term strategic direction of the
facility. As of the acquisition date, we had a receivable of $4,884
from KSCP for the acquisition of certain raw material inventory on
behalf of KSCP, a prepayment of certain finished goods inventory,
and a working capital loan.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</NonNumbericText><FootnoteIndexer /><CurrencyCode /><CurrencySymbol /><IsIndependantCurrency>false</IsIndependantCurrency><ShowCurrencySymbol>false</ShowCurrencySymbol><DisplayDateInUSFormat>false</DisplayDateInUSFormat></Cell></Cells><ElementDataType>nonnum:textBlockItemType</ElementDataType><SimpleDataType>na</SimpleDataType><ElementDefenition>The entire disclosure for related party transactions. Examples of related party transactions include transactions between (a) a parent company and its subsidiary; (b) subsidiaries of a common parent; (c) and entity and its principal owners; and (d) affiliates.</ElementDefenition><ElementReferences>Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

 -Publisher FASB

 -Name Accounting Standards Codification

 -Topic 850

 -SubTopic 10

 -Section 50

 -Paragraph 4

 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&amp;oid=6457730&amp;loc=d3e39622-107864



Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

 -Publisher FASB

 -Name Accounting Standards Codification

 -Topic 850

 -SubTopic 10

 -Section 50

 -Paragraph 3

 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&amp;oid=6457730&amp;loc=d3e39603-107864



Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

 -Publisher FASB

 -Name Accounting Standards Codification

 -Topic 850

 -SubTopic 10

 -Section 50

 -Paragraph 1

 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&amp;oid=6457730&amp;loc=d3e39549-107864



Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

 -Publisher SEC

 -Name Regulation S-X (SX)

 -Number 210

 -Section 04

 -Paragraph b

 -Article 3A



Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

 -Publisher FASB

 -Name Accounting Standards Codification

 -Topic 235

 -SubTopic 10

 -Section S99

 -Paragraph 1

 -Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(k))

 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&amp;oid=26873400&amp;loc=d3e23780-122690



Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

 -Publisher SEC

 -Name Regulation S-X (SX)

 -Number 210

 -Section 08

 -Paragraph k

 -Article 4



Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

 -Publisher FASB

 -Name Accounting Standards Codification

 -Topic 850

 -SubTopic 10

 -Section 50

 -Paragraph 6

 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&amp;oid=6457730&amp;loc=d3e39691-107864



Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

 -Publisher FASB

 -Name Accounting Standards Codification

 -Topic 850

 -SubTopic 10

 -Section 50

 -Paragraph 5

 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&amp;oid=6457730&amp;loc=d3e39678-107864



</ElementReferences><IsTotalLabel>false</IsTotalLabel><UnitID>0</UnitID><Label>Related party transactions</Label></Row></Rows><Footnotes /><IsEquityReport>false</IsEquityReport><ReportName>Related party transactions</ReportName><MonetaryRoundingLevel>UnKnown</MonetaryRoundingLevel><SharesRoundingLevel>UnKnown</SharesRoundingLevel><PerShareRoundingLevel>UnKnown</PerShareRoundingLevel><ExchangeRateRoundingLevel>UnKnown</ExchangeRateRoundingLevel><HasCustomUnits>true</HasCustomUnits><IsEmbedReport>false</IsEmbedReport><IsMultiCurrency>false</IsMultiCurrency><ReportType>Sheet</ReportType><RoleURI>http://www.sagentpharma.com/taxonomy/role/NotesToFinancialStatementsRelatedPartyTransactionsDisclosureTextBlock</RoleURI><NumberOfCols>1</NumberOfCols><NumberOfRows>1</NumberOfRows></InstanceReport>
