Globally, exorbitant prices of critical medicines are putting life-saving therapies out of reach of all except the richest few. Millions are being pushed into poverty every year in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as they are forced to dip into their savings to buy medicines. While poor countries are hit hardest by soaring medicine prices, rich countries are not immune. Thousands are rationing their medicines even in wealthy, Western nations. High-priced medicines are increasing the gap between rich and poor and putting lives on the line. Ensuring equitable and universal access to high quality, affordable medicines is thus vital for reducing healthcare disparities, ensuring social equity and strengthening global health security.

Biocon’s humanitarian business philosophy has led it to enhance access to biopharmaceuticals by making them affordable for patients in over 120 countries. With Biocon’s commitment to providing advanced biopharmaceuticals for global patient populations, the hope of health care being equitable and inclusive is now within reach. Our goal is to reach out to a billion patients. Our strategy of ‘affordable innovation’ has positioned us to take a leading role in tackling the global disease burden arising from diabetes and cancer through our effective, high quality biosimilars. Our novel biologics are revolutionising the treatment paradigm for cancer and immune-mediated diseases. We are giving people, including the economically disadvantaged, the hope of a healthier future.

Meeting Unmet Patient Needs

We have pursued an innovation strategy rooted in affordability by leveraging India’s cost base, focusing on high quality, affordable biopharmaceuticals and specialty medicines in chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases. Our product portfolio of generics, biosimilars and novel biologics caters to the global imperative for accessible, lower priced medicines to promote public health, especially for populations who live in LMICs with limited or no access to healthcare.

Biologic medicines are increasingly taking centre stage in addressing the needs of patients facing life-threatening diseases. Biocon is enabling affordable access to biologics through biosimilars. We have developed the first wave of biosimilars for global markets, expanding access to a number of key biologic drugs for which patents have expired.

For the treatment of diabetes, we indigenously developed safe, effective and affordable alternatives to global insulin brands, at a fraction of the prevailing cost. Today, in several countries, such as Mexico and Malaysia, most insulin dependent diabetes patients take our affordable insulins. Over the last 15 years, we have delivered 2 billion doses of insulin to patients in the developing world. We are now making our recombinant human insulin available at less than 10 cents per day in LMICs, which contribute to 80% of the global diabetes burden. We are now moving steadfastly towards our goal of providing our insulins to ‘one in five’ insulin-dependent people with diabetes, around the world.

In the field of oncology, we decided to tackle the very high incidence of head & neck cancers, which largely afflicted poorer sections of the population, due to excessive use of tobacco. The result was Nimotuzumab, a humanised anti-EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeted at head & neck cancer. To enable patient access to this life-saving biologic therapy, Biocon launched India’s first indigenously produced monoclonal antibody at an affordable price point. Through our partnerships, we have developed an extensive portfolio of biosimilars, of which, Trastuzumab, is hailed as a path-breaking targeted therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer patients and metastatic gastric cancer. We are now making this cancer therapy accessible to patients in the U.S., EU, Australia, Latin America, AFMET and APAC regions.

In immunology, we developed a novel first-in-class humanised anti-CD6 monoclonal antibody, Itolizumab, in India. The drug was launched to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. As the world’s first anti-CD6 molecule, Itolizumab holds promise in treating several autoimmune conditions.

We have also furthered the vision of affordable access to healthcare through our small molecule generics business, which is making a difference to patients, partners and healthcare systems worldwide.

Through our differentiated products, we are giving patients, doctors, caregivers, partners and healthcare ecosystems around the world a new hope.

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Many Firsts to Our Credit

• 2006 India’s first indigenously produced novel monoclonal antibody, Nimotuzumab, for head & neck cancer launched.
• 2013 Novel first-in-class humanised anti-CD6 monoclonal antibody, Itolizumab, launched to treat chronic plaque psoriasis
• 2014 World’s first biosimilar Trastuzumab for breast cancer patients developed and launched in India.
• 2016 Insulin Glargine pen for people with diabetes launched in Japan as the first biosimilar from India.
• 2018 First biosimilar Pegfilgrastim launched in U.S. for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy
• 2019 Biosimilar Trastuzumab launched in U.S. for the treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer and metastatic stomach cancer
• 2020 – Biocon Biologics and partner Viatris achieve the key milestone of obtaining U.S. FDA approval and bringing to market both the vial and pen presentations of Semglee (insulin glargine injection), the first for any company following the reference product.
• 2021 – Biocon Biologics and partner Viatris receive the world’s first interchangeable biosimilar approval from U.S. FDA for Semglee (Insulin Glargine) for treating diabetes. The historic approval is a milestone achievement for both companies.