Success in single-use bio products

Ankush Kapoor was working with a large MNC as general manager, overseeing the commercial operations for India and South Asia, and promoting critical raw material used in the pharma and biopharma industry.

- Namita Shibad

PUNE: While Sachin Joshi was in the similar industry, being an industry veteran known for his deep domain expertise, experience, and immense knowledge in bioprocessing technologies, along with manufacturing of bioprocess systems and consumables during his tenure at a large MNC.

It would have been a good career path if they continued in their jobs as both were doing well in their respective jobs, until their experiences and observations made them see a big problem.

Ankush said, "We saw the availability of single-use consumables required in the manufacturing of vaccines, biotherapeutics was a big problem, especially for Indian biopharma companies. There would always be a long wait till the products were delivered to them, and during the Covid this became a near impossibility. Indian biopharma companies had to wait for 10 months to even a year for delivery."

"The pharma and biopharma industry has evolved over the years. Small molecule pharmaceuticals (generic pharmaceuticals) like organic, inorganic chemicals are manufactured through the synthetic route. Since the past few years (20 to 25 years in India), some of the pharmaceutical companies in India have diversified into biologics and have added biopharmaceuticals to their portfolio. Biopharmaceuticals are large molecule-based pharmaceuticals manufactured from "living organisms" known generally as biologics. While many products such as insulin, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies are made from living organisms, the problem is to manufacture these products as it essentially involves three stages.