India attracts global generics manufacturers

A number of the world's major generics manufacturers, including Teva, Watson, Ivax and Pliva, visited India recently to forge alliances and seek investment opportunities.

Many countries are turning to India because they need to lower costs and also need to ramp up capacity, according to Frank Condella, president, European region of Ivax. 'Ivax was the earliest entrant into the Indian market, and plans to expand its scope of alliances with Indian companies,' he said.

'With their tremendous chemistry skills, low costs and a seemingly uncanny ability to manufacture top-end formulations, Indian generics could well be the next big thing in the west where the generic market is growing in a very big way.'

Icelandic pharmaceutical company Actavis established its Indian base, Actavis Pharma, in 2004 to seek opportunities in sourcing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), finished dosage forms, formulation development, contract research, clinical trials and contract manufacture. The company recently acquired an Indian clinical research organisation, Lotus Pharma, for €20m.

The generics company also has an agreement with the Pune-based Emcure, under which the latter will carry out contract manufacturing for Actavis. The drugs made at the Pune plant will be exported to the US.

'With nearly US$45bn of drugs expected to go off-patent over the next four years, Indian generic drug manufacturers are expected to gain in a big way,' said ceo Robert Wessman.