Tildrakizumab-ASMN

New Delhi: For India’s largest drug maker Sun Pharma , focusing on specific needs unaddressed by existing therapies stands as a differentiator, said Dilip Shanghvi , its Executive Chairman at an event on quality management that had representations from across industries. Sun Pharma has distinguished itself by sharply focusing on specific areas in contrast to companies that constantly chase newer segments and products. Speaking at the Indian Foundation for Quality Management (IFQM) Symposium over a virtual call, Shanghvi noted when Sun Pharma started operations in India, the market was dominated by large international companies but because of its small size, an agile workforce and by connecting with the customers, the company could identify areas that did not fill the requirement of patients. “We focus on developing drugs which can avoid some of the side effects of the existing products with a better delivery system and fulfill the needs of patients more effectively” he added. “Currently our R&D spend is around $450 million (annually) which is increasing year-on-year and the idea is to develop products that address the unmet challenges patients face with currently available therapies and this helps to differentiate us in the market” Shanghvi said at a panel discussion. Sun Pharma commands a portfolio of therapies that is engineered to target therapeutic domains overlooked by existing treatments and unlocks niche markets that, though modest in scale but have limited competition. Sun Pharma’s innovative drugs portfolio spans dermatology, anti-cancer and ophthalmology drugs. One of the successful products in the company’s specialty business is Ilumya (tildrakizumab-asmn), an interleukin-23 (IL-23) inhibitor which competes against giants such as Johnson and Johnson ’s Stelara (Ustekinumab) which targets two cytokines— IL-12 and IL-23— and both approved for plaque psoriasis by the US FDA . Launched in FY2019, Ilumya recorded net sales of (FY25) $681 million dollar (around ₹5,750 crore). Notably, similar projections have been made for its recently launched Leqselvi , a JAK 1/2 inhibitor indicated for the treatment of severe alopecia areata (a condition that leads to severe hair loss). According to industry experts Leqselvi has a higher dose of 8mg twice daily schedule, which places it in a dominant position against its rival Olumiant of Eli Lilly which is a 2mg and 4mg once-daily pill. During the discussion the industry veteran who founded Sun Pharma in 1983 also noted that, “India accounts for a large patient base, it represents about 2 percent of the global pharmaceutical market so for us as a company to grow it was important to go outside India while we focus on India.” “Today, two-thirds of our total revenue comes from international markets. While it took longer than expected for our US business to generate cash flows, with our continued investments in products tailored for the US market, has delivered very positive results over the years,” he added. Commenting on acquisitions and their integration Shanghvi said, “ Historically we have acquired business which are not very different, and our largest acquisition of Ranbaxy took us very long time but I am quite happy with the change it has brought ” “We recognise that even if, as a company, we haven’t succeeded in some cases that doesn’t mean the strategy is wrong. One simply has to find a better way to execute it,” he stressed. The Indian drugmaker had onboarded Ranbaxy in 2014 from Japanese giant Daiichi Sankyo for a total consideration of around $4billion— $3.2 billion for the acquisition and around $800 million for debt. Before its takeover by Sun Pharma, Ranbaxy was embroiled in charges of fraud and fabrication of data to gain product approvals in the US. It later pleaded guilty of distributing adulterated drugs in the US and was charged a $500 million fine by the US government. By Abhijeet Singh ,

New Delhi: For India’s largest drug maker Sun Pharma , focusing on specific needs unaddressed by existing therapies stands as a differentiator, said Dilip Shanghvi , its Executive Chairman at an event on quality management that had representations from across industries. Sun Pharma has distinguished itself by sharply focusing on specific areas in contrast to companies that constantly chase newer segments and products. Speaking at the Indian Foundation for Quality Management (IFQM) Symposium over a virtual call, Shanghvi noted when Sun Pharma started operations in India, the market was dominated by large international companies but because of its small size, an agile workforce and by connecting with the customers, the company could identify areas that did not fill the requirement of patients. “We focus on developing drugs which can avoid some of the side effects of the existing products with a better delivery system and fulfill the needs of patients more effectively” he added. “Currently our R&D spend is around $450 million (annually) which is increasing year-on-year and the idea is to develop products that address the unmet challenges patients face with currently available therapies and this helps to differentiate us in the market” Shanghvi said at a panel discussion. Sun Pharma commands a portfolio of therapies that is engineered to target therapeutic domains overlooked by existing treatments and unlocks niche markets that, though modest in scale but have limited competition. Sun Pharma’s innovative drugs portfolio spans dermatology, anti-cancer and ophthalmology drugs. One of the successful products in the company’s specialty business is Ilumya (tildrakizumab-asmn), an interleukin-23 (IL-23) inhibitor which competes against giants such as Johnson and Johnson ’s Stelara (Ustekinumab) which targets two cytokines— IL-12 and IL-23— and both approved for plaque psoriasis by the US FDA . Launched in FY2019, Ilumya recorded net sales of (FY25) $681 million dollar (around ₹5,750 crore). Notably, similar projections have been made for its recently launched Leqselvi , a JAK 1/2 inhibitor indicated for the treatment of severe alopecia areata (a condition that leads to severe hair loss). According to industry experts Leqselvi has a higher dose of 8mg twice daily schedule, which places it in a dominant position against its rival Olumiant of Eli Lilly which is a 2mg and 4mg once-daily pill. During the discussion the industry veteran who founded Sun Pharma in 1983 also noted that, “India accounts for a large patient base, it represents about 2 percent of the global pharmaceutical market so for us as a company to grow it was important to go outside India while we focus on India.” “Today, two-thirds of our total revenue comes from international markets. While it took longer than expected for our US business to generate cash flows, with our continued investments in products tailored for the US market, has delivered very positive results over the years,” he added. Commenting on acquisitions and their integration Shanghvi said, “ Historically we have acquired business which are not very different, and our largest acquisition of Ranbaxy took us very long time but I am quite happy with the change it has brought ” “We recognise that even if, as a company, we haven’t succeeded in some cases that doesn’t mean the strategy is wrong. One simply has to find a better way to execute it,” he stressed. The Indian drugmaker had onboarded Ranbaxy in 2014 from Japanese giant Daiichi Sankyo for a total consideration of around $4billion— $3.2 billion for the acquisition and around $800 million for debt. Before its takeover by Sun Pharma, Ranbaxy was embroiled in charges of fraud and fabrication of data to gain product approvals in the US. It later pleaded guilty of distributing adulterated drugs in the US and was charged a $500 million fine by the US government. By Abhijeet Singh ,