India

India and the US are the major manufacturers of finished dosages for the US market in terms of volume (China accounts for 9% of injectables), though the US relies heavily on India for solid oral dosage forms and specific generics, including lenalidomide and albuterol. Scrip talks to experts on some of the key implications of geographic concentration of production for the US market amid the specter of tariffs.

Bharat Biotech is the latest entrant in India’s cell and gene therapy space, joining majors like Intas Pharma, Sun Pharma, Cipla and Dr. Reddy’s. An indigenously developed CAR-T cell therapy launched last year, what is driving growing interest and success in cell and gene therapies?

Trump announced a 26% reciprocal tariff on India but a country-agnostic exemption of pharmaceuticals implies that the interests of Indian firms and the US consumer are protected for now. What is Indian pharma’s business exposure and what is domestic industry saying?

Senior executives from AstraZeneca, BMS, Novo Nordisk, Takeda and Regeneron outline how big pharma's global capability centers (GCCs) in India are evolving beyond cost efficiency, focusing on innovation, “agile experimentation” and new technology including GenAI, virtual & augmented reality, with some positioned as COEs. Will Indian multinationals use the GCC approach?

Heads of Novartis Biomedical, World Economic Forum and Indian majors like Sun Pharma’s SPARC, among others, discuss generative AI in drug discovery along with pointers for India to leapfrog the R&D process

Lilly’s Mounjaro arrives in India, with the 2.5mg vial priced at under $41 in a market that has over 100 million diabetics and increasing obesity rates. Will the product see sharp demand like in China, carving out a chunk of the pie ahead of the potential arrival of semaglutide generics and could there be concerns of ‘suitcase' exports?

Professor Anil Koul shares vignettes of his life and career trajectory, a captivating mix of hope, science and destiny that took him to the lab of eminent cancer biologist Alex Ullrich at the Max Planck Institute and also saw him contribute to the development of breakthrough TB drug bedaquiline. He also talks about Medicine 3.0 and the intersection of science and spirituality.

Miltenyi’s leadership calls for a streamlined regulatory framework as India gears to scale in cell and gene therapy. Executives from the German group also talked to Scrip about helping advance local capabilities, delivering point-of-care CAR- T cell therapy to hospitals and pricing dynamics.

Amgen’s AI model to predict proteins in the “bright Goldilocks zone of viscosity” with over 80% accuracy minus a wet lab experiment holds immense potential, VP Research Haldar said at an event as he spoke about a “hinge moment” for AI in pharma

MSD's chief information & digital officer emphasizes the need for pharma to accelerate technology adoption cycles to ensure drugs reach patients faster. The role of a robust digital backbone for seamless data flow, leadership commitment in digital transformation and an upcoming technology center in Hyderabad are other aspects he discussed.

A stake acquisition in US venture Illexcor allows India's Zydus to get in on the ground floor for a potential once-daily sickle cell disease treatment. The candidate showed promising preclinical results in a field that has yielded mixed outcomes for global majors like Novartis, Pfizer and Novo Nordisk

Zydus Lifesciences plans to expand global markets for patented products of French orthopedic tech company Amplitude Surgicals which it is acquiring from PE firm PAI Partners and others. Could the European business also serve as a buffer to upheaval in the US amid talks of tariffs?

Can India’s Mittelstand or small and medium enterprises win the quality game and what could help? Sectoral insights from defense and FMCG industries and from other countries like Germany might hold the key for Indian pharma, a panel of experts at a recent event opined.

Sun is acquiring Checkpoint Therapeutics, opening up opportunities to build out its strategy in the onco-derm segment with the US firm’s FDA-approved anti-PD-L1 mAb.

Indian CDMOs could consider collaborating with allies in Europe amid a focused effort via a new industry body to counter existing challenges like China’s manufacturing, regulatory and policy advantages and a shortage of funding and talent in the country even as talk of US tariffs throws a new spoke in the wheel

CEOs of top Indian firms discuss how policies and geopolitics could shape future manufacturing networks and also the simmering issue of tariffs. US President Donald Trump has just reiterated plans for reciprocal tariffs at a joint session of Congress.

In a video interview, Wockhardt chairman Habil Khorakiwala talks about global commercial and manufacturing plans for superbug-busting novel antibiotics and developments such as proposed US tariffs and the Windsor framework that could impact its markets.

Policy advances, measures to back local production and crowdfunding action for gene therapies like Zolgensma bring hope for rare disease patients in India. Gaps in financing, high prices and an ongoing court case, however, stunt efforts to ensure timely access.

US President Trump’s threat of a “25% or higher” import tariff on pharmaceuticals sends ripples through an already uncertain environment. With about half of generics sourced from India, captains of industry read between the lines

Novartis president, development and chief medical officer talks about the pivotal role of the development India hub in progressing breakthrough drugs, how AI is delivering gains in the trials arena, driving focus in the R&D engine and the Swiss group’s approach in the obesity space.