Bio_Spectrum_July_2017

(^30) COVERStory BioSpectrum | July 2017 | http://www.biospectrumindia.com
R&D focus of top pharma companies in India
Company R&D in India Core Research Areas Current Research
GlaxoSmithKline
Pharmaceuticals
The first R&D center was
set up in 1971
Dermatology, gynaecology,
diabetes, oncology,
cardiovascular and respiratory
diseases.
Working on launching 3
respiratory products and
2 vaccines from the global
pipeline.
Abbott India The first nutrition R&D
center was launched
with contract research
arm of Biocon, Syngene
in 2012.
Pain management, Diabetes,
cardiovascular, neurological,
respiratory, metabolics,
gastrointestinal, urology
Setting up a new R&D center in
Mumbai aimed at developing
new drug formulations to feed
into its global branded generics
business
Sanofi First pharmaceutical
development center
opened by Sanofi-
Aventis in 2007
Sanofi signed MoU with
NIPER Kolkatta
Cardiovascular, diabetes,
internal medicine, oncology,
arthritis, neurology
For academic excellence and
research in pharmaceuticals
and consumer healthcare
products
Working upon expanding in the
field of diagnostics.
Novartis India R&D center was
established in
Hyderabad in 2001
Cardiovascular, metabolic,
ophthalmology, respiratory,
neuroscience, immunology,
dermatology, oncology, cell and
gene therapy
Planning on collaborating
with universities and local
companies to expand work
on drug discovery and to start
designing clinical trials in India
Johnson
& Johnson
The pharmaceutical
division Janssen in India
was established in 2009
Oncology, immunology,
neurosciences & analgesia,
dermatology, infectious
diseases and metabolic diseases
Working on expanding
tuberculosis and HIV research
in India
therapies, including Lantus and Amaryl that have been
supporting people in diabetes management for over a
decade. We have brought two new molecules to Sanofi
India portfolio - Lyxumia and Zemiglo, which is our
step forward in developing new solutions for people
with type 2 diabetes.”
Regulatory Environment
The regulatory requirements and growing complexity
of clinical trials translate into more numerous and
more complex eligibility criteria. This primarily
involves study enrollment, increased site visits and
required procedures, longer study duration, and more
rigorous data collection requirements.
“Though India makes up 16 per cent of the world’s
population and 20 per cent of the world’s disease
burden, less than 1.4 per cent of global clinical trials
are carried out in the country. Of the 7,000 known rare
diseases, treatment is available for only around 500.
Drug prices are also very high. We should be concerned
about pricing to ensure that people get access to decent
healthcare in India”, said Dr. Vrishali Desai, Regulatory