BUSINESS
Cough syrup crisis, US trade heat and R&D breakthroughs define Indian pharma’s in 2025
In 2025, the BSE Healthcare Index which is represented by mostly pharma companies underperformed the Sensex, declining approximately 1.5% year to date as of late December, compared to Sensex's positive 8.36% annual gain.
BUSINESS
Government bans high-dose Nimesulide oral formulations over safety concerns
Nimesulide, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), has long been under scrutiny globally for potential liver toxicity and other adverse effects.
BUSINESS
Newly listed Corona Remedies announces major capex at its Bhayla manufacturing site in Gujarat
The expansion, funded entirely through internal accruals, aims to optimize production and maintain high utilization rates—already at 93.58 percent as of March 2025.
BUSINESS
Govt to finalise penicillin import price floor shortly to support domestic API investments under PLI: Sources
The MIP, if approved, may potentially enable domestic capacity to survive the price onslaught of Chinese suppliers and will also make Aurobindo Pharma's investment under India’s Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme viable.
BUSINESS
For India’s weight-loss segment, 2025 is the warm-up, 2026 to be inflection point
While 2025 has been crucial for establishing the clinical credibility of GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro), 2026 will mark the 'patent cliff' that will democratise weight loss in India, transforming a luxury lifestyle treatment into a mass-market commodity.
BUSINESS
'The pill is here': Novo Nordisk get USFDA nod for oral weight-loss therapy
The once-daily tablet of Wegovy is as effective as its blockbuster injectable version, the Danish drug maker said. It plans to launch the pill in the US early January
BUSINESS
Motilal Oswal pumps $72 million into Hyderabad-based medtech Sensa Core
The company will use the capital to expand capacity at a new facility in Hyderabad’s Medical Device Park, aimed at scaling production and introducing next-gen point-of-care products
BUSINESS
Medicover’s India arm aiming for 2026 IPO to unlock value in Swedish giant’s fastest-growing market
The move comes as the hospital chain is set to get its 25th hospital operational, capping a growth sprint during which it has deployed around Rs 2,000 crore over the last seven years to build a 6,000-bed network
BUSINESS
Corex cough syrup gets Cipla boost as Pfizer strikes exclusive India deal
The agreement gives Cipla sole rights to sell and distribute the two Corex variants along with some other drugs Pfizer will continue to manufacture and supply the products
BUSINESS
Narayana Health plans to export high-volume, low-cost care model to UK and beyond
“We’ve built the world’s most efficient healthcare model in India. Now we want to apply that in markets where everyone is insured and cost-cutting is critical,” Vice Chairman Viren Shetty said in an interview to Moneycontrol.
BUSINESS
IHH sets stage for growth, integration as Fortis open offer closes
The completion of the open offers — delayed for years amid litigation tied to the erstwhile Fortis promoters and Daiichi Sankyo — removes a long‑standing uncertainty for IHH’s India plans
BUSINESS
Explainer: Novo Nordisk’s two-brand bet, how Ozempic and Wegovy are carving India’s GLP-1 market
While both drugs share the same active ingredient, their positioning, pricing, and regulatory pathways diverge sharply, reflecting the company’s effort to capture two massive but different patient pools, sometimes with significant overalap.
BUSINESS
Novo Nordisk launches Ozempic in India against diabetes for Rs 2,200 per week entry dose
The pre-filled pen, which consists of four doses of 0.25mg injection required for initiation, costs Rs.8800 per month (Rs,2200 per week), 0.5 mg per month costs Rs.10,170 (Rs.2542.5 per week) and 1mg costs Rs.11,175 (Rs 2793.75 per week).
BUSINESS
Urban elites drive GLP-1 weight loss boom; distribution deals, price cuts can change script
Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru alone account for one-third of GLP-1 sales. Analysts cite affordability, accessibility and awareness as key reasons for the weight loss drugs' limited penetration.
TRENDS
Weight loss GLP-1 drugs craze drives new packages with diagnostics, lifestyle coaching, and drug delivery
The executives of the companies say by pairing weight-loss drugs such as semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) with diet plans, lab monitoring, and strength training, patients will achieve safer, sustained results.
BUSINESS
After Dr Reddy's, Sun Pharma gets Delhi High Court nod to make, export semaglutide
Sun Pharma, like Dr Reddy's Lab, can't sell semaglutide-based products in India until March 2026 when Novo Nordisk’s patent expires
BUSINESS
Novo moves court to restrain Sun Pharma, Alkem from manufacture, sale of weight loss drug semaglutide
The fresh plea follows a recent court order allowing Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) to continue manufacturing and exporting its version of semaglutide while prohibiting domestic sales until Novo Nordisk’s patent expires.
BUSINESS
Zydus to enter US biosimilar market via Keytruda partnership with Germany's Formycon
The move is significant because Keytruda, one of the world’s top-selling immunotherapies with annual sales exceeding $20 billion, faces a looming patent expiry in 2028 in the US, opening the door for biosimilar competition in a market dominated by high-cost oncology drugs.
TRENDS
Asthma, COPD drug sales hit a 3-year high in November as north India chokes on toxic air
The anti-asthma and COPD segment grew 10 percent year-on-year in November, outpacing historical winter trends and marking its strongest performance for the month since 2022, Pharmatrac data shows
BUSINESS
Mounjaro retains top spot in India’s weight-loss market; Wegovy makes steady gains after price cuts
In November, Mounjaro clocked Rs 108 crore in sales, making it the number 1 brand in the IPM, reflecting sustained momentum despite rising competition
BUSINESS
Biocon to absorb biologics unit, eyes Rs 4,500 cr fund raise to buy Viatris’s residual stake
“When we created Biocon Biologics as a separate entity, the objective was clearly to attract investments and build global scale in biosimilars. We did that successfully, even acquiring Viatris’ biosimilars business for $3 billion. But markets kept devaluing both Biocon and Biocon Biologics because of debt overhang and holding company discount. Folding Biologics back into Biocon unlocks true value and gives us a much stronger balance sheet,” Mazumdar-Shaw said.
BUSINESS
Aurobindo Group in mega infra push, to develop Kakinada port, SEZ as industrial-logistics hub
The aim is to make Kakinada a multi-product logistics hub. ‘This is not just ships coming and going — it’s a 50-year vision,’ Kakinada Gateway Port Ltd MD Ram Reddy Ojili tells Moneycontrol
BUSINESS
Bombay High Court rejects Lilavati Trust’s Rs 17 Crore recovery claim for lack of statutory consent
The court held that the trust failed to comply with Sections 50 and 51 of the MPT Act, which require prior approval for suits involving trustees and public trust property.
BUSINESS
Indian pharma eyes US biosimilars boom as USFDA eases rules
The US biosimilars market is projected to balloon from about $22.6 billion in 2025 to more than $90 billion by 2034, according to industry estimates.
