'In Capex Alone We Will Be Investing Around ₹ 250 Crores This Year'

USV, a 55-year old pharma company recently announced regulatory submission of proposed biosimilar Pegfilgrastim and acceptance for review by EMA. Prashant Tewari,MD,USV, divulged his company growth plans in 2018 and more, in an interview with Lakshmipriya Nair

- Lakshmipriya Nair

How will 2018 be for the pharma industry?

2018 should be better for the pharma industry than the last year. GST is stable in pharma now. In 2017, there was some impact on the bottom line for everybody because the delta over the earlier excise duty/VAT regime is about 2.5 per cent. So, some reduction in their sales has happened to every company. However, all this is behind us and 2018 should be better.

Yes, there could be some adverse impact for pharma majors with substantial international exposure. Our exposure is not large so the impact is less. So far we have had a very niche portfolio. Our business in the US is around $25 billion.

What are USV’s plans for the coming year?

USV’s 80 per cent of business is in India but we are looking at expanding in the global markets. We have 16 ANDAs approved, and 40 more awaiting approval. However, we have received a warning letter for our Daman facility. We will receive approvals only after that is lifted.

India remains our major focus. It is a big market for us, we are leaders in diabetes, cardiovascular segments. These segments have potential for good growth as well. We have some pipeline projects for India, they are more mid-term/long-term plans. We are working on an anticancer vaccine, the clinical trials will tell us about our progress on this front.

You have recently applied for marketing authorisation application for a biosimilar in Europe, is that also a focus area?