Sun Pharma lines up $100 million to commercialise niche products this fiscal

The drug firm expects its FY26 R&D spend to be 6-8 per cent of sales for the next year, he added.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has lined up a USD 100 million investment to commercialise innovative products in the current fiscal, according to Chairman and Managing Director Dilip Shanghvi.

The Mumbai-based drug major said the capital outlay will help in significantly strengthening the company’s speciality (patented products) business for the future.

“For the current year, we are looking to invest approximately USD 100 million additionally on the commercialisation of new speciality products,” Shanghvi told analysts in a call.

The drug major plans to majorly invest in the launch of two products — Unloxcyt and Leqselvi. Unloxcyt is indicated for the treatment of adults with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, while Leqselvi is for the treatment of adults with severe alopecia areata.

In FY25, the company’s global speciality sales rose 17.1 per cent to USD 1,216 million. In the January-March quarter of FY25, the sales were up 8.6 per cent to USD 295 million.

Elaborating on the speciality product segment, Shanghvi said it is now seeking a partner for the future development and commercialisation of MM-II (for osteoarthritis pain) in certain geographies.

“This change is due to the strategic reassessment of our pipeline. We continue to believe in the potential of the product. Another change is that we are now planning a trial of GL0034 in type 2 diabetes as its first indication,” he added.

Sun Pharma has agreed to acquire Checkpoint Therapeutics, a company specialising in immunotherapy and targeted oncology, he noted.

“We are awaiting approval of that transaction and subsequent closing. Checkpoint has recently received approval from USFDA for Unloxcyt for metastatic or locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and we look forward to leveraging our presence to accelerate patient’s access to Unloxcyt,” Shanghvi said.

The drug maker expects mid-to-high single-digit consolidated topline growth in the ongoing fiscal. Sun Pharma reported a total sales of Rs 5,20,41 crore in FY25.

“On the guidance of FY26, we expect mid-to-high single-digit consolidated topline growth for FY26,” Shanghvi said.

The drug firm expects its FY26 R&D spend to be 6-8 per cent of sales for the next year, he added.