Indian drugmakers urged to tap cancer market and innovation

Shifting focus from generic drugs to specialty drugs amidst continued price erosion in the USA, Indian drug majors have started working towards having enough cancer-fighting drugs in their product pipeline, reflecting a global trend where companies are rushing to tap a market that is estimated to touch $138 billion worldwide this year, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

Recent progress in biological therapies has widened the scale of therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer with the identification of tumor cell specific genes. While immunotherapies and biologics are emerging as potential therapies to find a permanent cure for various cancers, officials say amongst various biologics, drugs based on monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) have gained significant attention, further propelling the growth of the oncology drugs market.

"All the big multinationals like Glaxo, Merck and Pfizer are co-developing and co-commercializing new immunotherapy candidates which have potential in fighting difficult-to-treat cancers. They are intent on boosting their oncology pipelines. It is time India does too," said an Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA) official.