India

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.

Parexel's CEO Peyton Howell and India boss Sanjay Vyas talk to Scrip about the value of clinical trial diversity, AI pilots underway and opportunities for India amid geopolitical rumblings, as well as the need for standardized regulatory approaches to enhance sponsor interest.

A US tariff on imports from China raises the spectre of similar action against India, but Aurobindo, the largest generics company in the US by prescriptions dispensed, assures it has alternatives in place. While trials for an opthalmology biosimilar are delayed, supply of other biosimilars to Europe is set to begin in Q2 FY26

Dr Reddy’s hopes to be the “first one in the pack”, when Ozempic loses patent cover next year in markets like Canada, where the semaglutide opportunity is projected at $2bn. Openings for the product in 80 smaller markets also loom, it said, but the GLP-1 agonist won’t ‘replace’ generic Revlimid and all business levers will have to grow.

A Zydus-Takeda joint venture is expected to supply more raw materials to the Japanese major. Meanwhile, a tie-up with CVS Caremark for the sitagliptin franchise is a boost for Zydus’s US sales while the company focuses R&D efforts on rare diseases like ALS and CAPS

In addition to deregulation, the Economic Survey 2025 highlights the pressing need for greater innovation and R&D in India’s pharmaceutical industry.

Sun Pharma sees opportunities for Antibe’s otenaproxesul in the US and emerging markets and aims to get the clinical hold on the novel NSAID lifted. The firm is also focusing on its specialty business in Japan, amid pricing challenges for long-listed products.

Legal heavyweights from Nishith Desai Associates, Anand and Anand, Corporate Law Group and EY partner and national cyber leader outline key compliance aspects that pharma and their global capability centers may need to factor as India moves to strengthen the framework for the protection of digital personal data.

As Torrent joins Indian majors with plans to launch semaglutide in India and Brazil post patent expiry, market access topics like price and demand come up for discussion. Meanwhile, the supply chain is seen overcoming shortages

Industry pundits talk about conversational AI for sales reps, the arrival of AI agents, a potential overhaul in the SaaS market for pharma enterprises and the tricky arena of influencer engagement in this instalment on key trends playing out on the tech front and in India. Expanding healthcare coverage is also improving the outlook for pharma in the country, they said.

From continuing consolidation on the home market, big pharma appetite to double down on capability centers and notable R&D advances including traction by a second CAR-T cell therapy, the Indian market looks set for an eventful 2025. Scrip spoke to a cross-section of experts to encapsulate some of the key trends in the first instalment of this two-part roundup.

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?

India cracks down on unethical marketing practices, with AbbVie in the eye of a storm for allegedly violating norms. While the action sends the right signal, a wider clean up including in the devices segment, where things may be “more harmful” may not be easy, say some experts.

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

Cipla secures regulatory approval for partner MannKind’s Afrezza following a Phase III trial in India. KOLs signal nuanced enthusiasm for the inhaled insulin which is approved in the US and Brazil.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s sale of three diabetes brands in India, with the same composition as Jardiance, Jardiance Met and Glyxambi, to Torrent comes ahead of the expiry of the Indian patent for empagliflozin. A launch for other indications is also expected.

Eli Lilly’s India chief, at a recent summit, talked about India moving up the “priority list” when it came to boardroom discussions, while the founding CEO, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, outlined the implications for pharma as the massive publicly funded health assurance scheme widens coverage in the country.

Ahead of ASH 2024, Ichnos Glenmark Innovation’s CEO outlines to Scrip the promising profile of the alliance’s early stage trispecific versus existing bispecific antibodies in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, including a significant overall response rate.

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.