The $25 billion Novartis AG has identified 'alliance model' as its growth strategy in India. The Swiss drug maker is exploring collaborations with Indian pharmaceutical companies in all possible areas including manufacturing, sourcing, in-licensing and research and development.
Thomas Ebeling, CEO of Novartis Pharma AG, said: "We acknowledge the need for additional compounds to have the best pipeline in the industry. We are adopting a partnership approach and are inviting Indian companies for joint drug development. Licensing will compliment our own research as we cannot cover all therapeutic areas ourselves."
"With patent protection in India, the timelag between the launch of our product in other parts of the world and India will reduce significantly," Ebeling said.
Novartis is seeking partnership in therapeutic areas including oncology, opthalmology, transplantation, metabolic, endocrine, cardiovascular disease, arthritis bone metabolism, gastrointestinal diseases, dermatology, respiratorydiseases, nervous system diseases and infectious diseases.
The company is working towards increasing its field force to maximise the potential of each drug in its product portfolio. Ebeling said that the group aims at acquiring a balance between the mass market and speciality market.
The company cannot undermine the growth potential in China and India and rely solely on the US market. He emphasised that with India recognising product patents, the flow of investment into the country is likely to increase.
Novartis India was the first company in India to get an exclusive marketing right for its anti-cancent blockbuster Glivec. The development led six Indian generic companies to withdraw their products in this category.
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