Light at the end of the biotech tunnel?

As we go to press with this special issue focussing on the biotechnology sector in India, Biocon’s Q3 results seem like a light at the end of the tunnel. 45 years after its inception, the company is now reaping the rewards of dogged perseverance. To list just two recent achievements, its CANMAb is not just the world’s first biosimilar Trastuzumab, but also the most affordable worldwide. As part of its latest tie up with US-based Advaxis, Biocon will co-develop and deliver cutting edge affordable cervical cancer treatment to women in India and other developing nations.

But it’s not smooth sailing for biotech in India. Our cover story looks at how four CEOs are planning to grow to the next level (Blueprint for biotech, pages 20-23). While Dr PM Murali, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Evolva feels that there will be opportunities for many partnerships and collaborations, Swapan Bhattacharya, Managing Director, TCG Lifesciences says that the winning strategies for Indian industry would be to embrace the learnings. Binish Chudgar, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Intas Pharmaceuticals highlights that biosimilars are a compelling opportunity for emerging economies such as China, India, and Brazil but KV Subramaniam, President and Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Life Sciences cautions that there are still formidable challenges in addressing these opportunities. Avesthagen’s founder Villoo Morawala Patel agrees. (Page 24: Current financing climate unable to support large vision models)

Strand Lifesciences has not just survived but thrived. I met founder Dr Vijay Chandru in 2009 and his team had already caught the right wave. (See story: Strand Life Sciences: cutting edge discovery research informatics, http://bit.ly/1aLNdaE). The success story continues: Strand recently tied up with US based El Camino Hospitals to provide advanced clinical genomics solutions but even Dr Chandru agrees that the ecosystem is not perfect.(See page 25: ‘When regulation becomes ill-defined and ambiguous, all industry players suffer’).

A big boost in productivity and revenues will come from global biopharma solution providers who are eager to tap India’s huge market. For instance, Novozymes Biopharma has mapped its strategy for the country (See page 26: ‘Use of enzymes in API manufacture produces a diverse range of cost savings’)

But besides venture capital, there is another missing link: the right human capital. (Page 60:Tracking the right talent) Initiatives like the Biocon KGI Certificate Programme in Biosciences are now addressing the skill deficit and will hopefully help the next generation of bio-entrepreneurs hit the headlines much faster. After all, no one wants to be stuck in a tunnel.

Viveka Roychowdhury
Editor

viveka.r@expressindia.com