Vikas Dandekar

India's government is taking emergency steps to ensure cancer patients get vital drugs. Cisplatin and carboplatin, crucial chemotherapy agents, faced shortages due to rising raw material costs. The government may allow significant price increases to boost production. This move aims to prevent treatment disruptions for thousands of patients across the nation. Revised prices are expected soon.

India's drug pricing authority has approved a 50% price hike for essential anti-cancer drugs carboplatin and cisplatin. This decision follows pleas from manufacturers citing soaring platinum costs. Anti-tetanus immunoglobulin drug prices also see an increase. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority invoked special powers to ensure these life-saving medicines remain accessible to the public.

With an eye on India's blossoming market, Novartis is set to launch pioneering therapies, including radioligand and gene therapies. The company underscores the importance of collaboration to tackle obstacles like high costs and inadequate infrastructure.

A gene-based test called next-generation sequencing can identify precise mutations, which can then be treated with targeted therapies. Since the NGS test can be beyond the reach of many, a unique collaboration called LuNGS Alliance is making it free for lung cancer patients in India, offering a glimpse of how medical breakthroughs can be made accessible and affordable.

Initial excitement for India's generic weight-loss drugs is fading. Domestic manufacturers are lowering sales targets due to slower-than-expected prescriptions and patient retention. Unexpected price cuts from the innovator, coupled with the high cost of generics for Indian consumers, are impacting adoption. This has led to a wait-and-watch approach for upcoming launches, with a potential revival anticipated later in the fiscal year.

Dr Reddy's chairman, Satish Reddy, has raised concerns about compromising India's competitive edge in generics for foreign investments. He stresses the importance of aligning capital with developmental needs and enhancing collaboration between academia and industry. Advocating for a national mission akin to China's, he highlights the necessity of structured government procurement to stimulate drug innovation and underscores AI's transformative role in drug discovery, contingent on adaptive regulatory systems.

Novo Nordisk is set to introduce Awiqli, an innovative once-weekly insulin, in India shortly. This remarkable treatment drastically cuts down the number of insulin injections from 365 annually to only 52. Awiqli could redefine the approach to diabetes management, offering promising cost savings compared to existing therapies.

Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drugs are regaining market share from Indian generics. Innovator brands show steady month-on-month sales growth, unlike generics. Eli Lilly's tirzepatide brands also experienced sales growth in the recent period. Doctors prefer innovator semaglutide due to similar pricing and pioneering status. The crowded generic market is causing brands to lose their individual market share.

India has approved Awiqli for adults with both Type 1 and 2 diabetes, broader than the current US approval, which is only for use in Type 2 diabetes patients.

Leading pharmaceutical companies seek Regulatory Data Protection to boost research investments. Public health groups and local makers oppose this, fearing extended monopolies and delayed generics. The Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India argues it benefits indigenous drug makers too. China has already implemented similar clauses, seeing significant research deal growth. India's regulatory alignment with global practices could attract discovery research investments.