Boost For India's Generic Pharma Majors

Biocon, Dr Reddy's and Mankind Pharma stress on development and manufacturing of biological drugs, look to cash in on a growing market.

- Joe C. Mathew

WHEN BENGALURU-BASED Biocon Ltd. decided to focus on biosimilars — drugs and therapeutics that are similar to innovative biotech products already approved by the regulator — in the early 2000s, very few Indian firms were willing to take the plunge. An evolving regulatory landscape and substantial financial outlay for R&D and manufacturing infrastructure posed significant risks.

Biocon’s biosimilar foray began with a partnership with U.S.-based Mylan (now Viatris) for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in 2009, which subsequently expanded to insulin analogs in 2013. The partnership leveraged the strengths of both — R&D and manufacturing capabilities of Biocon, and regulatory and commercialisation of Mylan in global markets.

Almost a decade later, Biocon acquired the global biosimilar business of Viatris in November 2022, creating within Biocon Biologics a fully integrated ‘lab to market’ biosimilar enterprise with one of the strongest portfolios and pipelines in the industry. Though not many Indian players have gone that far, domestic pharma companies have still come a long way from being a marginal player in biosimilars to looking at the segment as an integral part of their future growth plans.

From Dr Reddy’s to Zydus Lifesciences, and Lupin to Mankind, domestic drug firms are making major investments in the space, thanks to the savings potential that biosimilars offer, compared to biotech products.