Biocon expects debt rejig to give ₹300 cr booster to interest costs

As Biocon Biologics Ltd (BBL) charts its next phase of global expansion, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Shreehas Tambe outlines how the company is reshaping access, affordability, and growth in biosimilars.

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From California, in a video interview with Sohini Das and Aneeka Chatterjee, he talks of the ways in which BBL is working to stay ahead in competitive global markets. Edited excerpts:

Biocon Biologics is partnering California’s CalRx initiative for affordable insulin. How significant is the tieup commercially, and does it indicate a broader shift toward government-linked procurement or value-based models in key markets?

= The announcement with the California government for CalRx-branded insulin glargine is path-breaking. It is an arrangement that complements our flexible commercial platform.

Through a partnership with Civica, a not-for-profit organisation, we enable direct distribution of insulin from the state to pharmacies, eliminating middlemen and making it affordable for Californians. California accounts for 20 per cent of America’s insulin consumption, and this initiative opens a new, complementary channel for future state collaboration.

‘There are 50 states in the United States (US), and California is the first. We're already in discussion with several other states, as well as with partners like Civica and potentially TrumpRx, to explore similar initiatives. I would not call this a shift — it’s not replacing our commercial channels. Rather, it’s an example of the flexibility of our platform, which allows us to add another channel: Enabling direct-to-pharmacy access while continuing to serve existing ones.