Supply Chain

PE firms Advent and Carlyle drove the biggest M&A deals in human and animal pharmaceuticals in India during 2024, a year that also saw Lupin strike deals with Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim to further its ambitions in the fast-growing diabetes space. Which segments look hot and what are the expected trends for deal making in 2025?

The biopharma sector has once again experienced highs and lows this year. With just a week left, and in no particular order, Scrip takes a look at five of the biggest stories of 2024.

Merck’s India head for process solutions and Aragen Bioscience’s CEO talk about an incubator set-up and AI-led drug discovery to enable India’s research ecosystem, US tariffs on China, ADC and GLP-1 development, funding path for Goldman Sachs-investee Aragen and more in this video interview

US President-elect Donald Trump’s second term is seen in general as “bad news” for Asia, especially China, by some analysts. But the outlook for India pharma appears upbeat, says a cross-section of experts.

Indian firms Lupin and Aurobindo lay out global plans for GLP-1 agonists, as Aurobindo also updates on its biosimilar ambitions as they report results for fiscal Q2.

Strides is to supply semaglutide and liraglutide to generics companies amid global capacity constraints and drug shortages, ahead of loss of exclusivity. An ability to make drug-device combinations has meant it has contracts for seven of the eight GLP-1 agonists, and counting

In a video interview, Nandini Piramal, chairperson of Piramal Pharma, speaks with Scrip about a focus on on-patent products, an integrated ADC offering, a measured approach to the proposed BIOSECURE Act and the company’s strategy to double revenue to about $2bn

Indian CMOs, CDMOs and CRDMOs are expanding capacity and making leadership moves ahead of the BIOSECURE Act, anticipating demand from big pharma and budding biotechs. Scrip brings details on leading Indian firms which could be potential go-to suppliers for US companies affected by the proposed Act

Syngene’s CEO talks to Scrip about how the firm is deepening capabilities in areas like ADCs, PROTACs and why the US Inflation Reduction Act may not necessarily shrink outsourced small molecule work. The executive also shares his view on the China ‘rebalancing’ trend amid geopolitical tensions and the US BIOSECURE Act.

Lilly’s Mounjaro to Pfizer’s Paxlovid, the WuXi group has been part of pharma majors’ sourcing chain. How big is the hole clients are to fill when the proposed BIOSECURE Act comes into effect? Here’s a Scrip infographic using Evaluate Pharma data.

GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals’ MD tells Scrip how the company has been able to reinvent itself, contemporize brands and get supply chain innovation right as the UK-headquartered firm marks 100 years of operations in India. GSK’s equivalent of the 'Amazon model' for vaccine ordering and the new temples of industry are some of the other facets the executive discussed in the first instalment of this two-part interview. 

Leaders from India’s top drug makers discuss efforts to operationalize a world-class skilling institute, backed by tie-ups with organizations like the PDA, ISPE and also taking a leaf out of the automobile industry’s book to build supply chain resilience. They also exuded confidence on moving up the innovation value chain.

The efficacy of Moderna’s jab appears to fade faster than its rivals, while experts were surprised by an FDA panel’s recommendation to narrow the use of all three RSV vaccines.

The Danish drugmaker is investing over $4.1bn on a second facility in North Carolina for its GLP-1 therapies but has abandoned plans to build a new plant in Dublin, Ireland.

Indian firms accounted for over 50% of prescription volumes in five of the top 10 therapy areas in the US in 2022, as also 15% of the volume share of biosimilars, delivering savings and widening patient coverage a study by IQVIA said, while also highlighting supply chain risks that need attention.

With just 14% of active pharmaceutical ingredients estimated to be made in the US and China’s overall dominance in the space, a new study points to the pressing need for the US to address bottlenecks in the supply chain and proposes a string of approaches to partner with India in its de-risking efforts.

BioNTech and the UK government's alliance to bring personalized cancer immunotherapy to patients is making progress, but the National Health Service has to show it can deliver on clinical trials recruitment.

Quietly but unambiguously, pharma firms are accelerating their diversification away from China and are now looking to other emerging markets for growth, a strategy that reflects increasing pressures from China's volume-based procurement scheme but also US-China tensions and other geopolitical risks.

The shockwave of WuXi's withdrawal from BIO is ripping through the Chinese contract services sector. While some remain hopeful, others are preparing Plan B.

Bristol Myers Squibb’s EVP and chief digital and technology officer, Greg Meyers, tells Scrip how the company is using data, technology and artificial intelligence to speed up the clinical research process. An AI engine that leverages real-world data to improve trial diversity and promising generative AI uses cases are some of the key topics discussed.