At the heart of this debate is Section 3(d) of the Patents Act, a safeguard designed to prevent drugmakers from extending monopoly protection through trivial modifications to existing medicines.
Buoyant domestic sales are expected to lift revenues for pharma companies by 8-11 per cent in Q3FY26, even as declining generic Revlimid (cancer drug) sales in the US remain a key drag. Most brokerages forecast a modest 2-4 per cent growth in profit after tax (PAT) for the quarter. Hospitals and diagnostics companies, meanwhile, are likely to post much stronger numbers, with revenues seen growing 20-22 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y).
The European Medicines Agency's review is the second setback to Alkem Laboratories
India is home to more than 100 million diabetics, and the demand for anti-diabetic drugs is on the rise -- the Rs 20,611 crore anti-diabetic drug market in India is growing at 9 per cent or so.
Among the commonly used analgesic formulations (painkillers) found NSQ are combinations of paracetamol with ibuprofen, diclofenac and mefenamic acid. Medications using these combinations are commonly used to treat fever, mild migraine, period and muscle pain.
The regulator had issued alerts in June and July of 2015.
Analysts are expecting pharmaceutical companies to post sales growth of 10-11 per cent in the second quarter this financial year while the Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation) margins are anticipated to improve by about 110 basis points. Ebitda improvement will be led by lower input costs because prices of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are 5-15 per cent lower year-on-year (Y-o-Y). Axis Capital said sales growth would be around 10 per cent, of which growth in the India market would be 11 per cent or so.
The Rs 900-crore (Rs 9 billion) Alkem Laboratories and the leading US pharmaceutical and research company Oculus Innovative Sciences Inc are planning to set up a 50:50 joint venture in India
The tailwind of low price erosion in the US generics market, seen by domestic pharmaceutical companies in calendar year 2023 (CY23), may be reversing slowly, caution analysts. According to the latest data from US-based Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMMS), price erosion in calendar year 2024 (CY24) on a year-to-date (YTD) basis stood at a high of 15 per cent in the oral solid dosage (OSD) segment compared to a low of 1 per cent in CY23. This erosion, according to a report by Antique Stock Broking, was the highest in the last three years.
Indian pharmaceutical companies are stepping up their efforts to combat the problem of counterfeit drugs, employing a variety of strategies, from packaging innovations to engaging private investigation agencies. The stakes are high, as counterfeit medicines not only harm consumers but also tarnish the reputation of leading brands.
The Indian pharmaceutical market (IPM) grew 6.8 per cent to touch a turnover of ~1.93 trillion in calendar year 2023, despite volumes going down marginally by 0.9 per cent. This indicates the price increase has been the major growth driver. Growth in the moving annual turnover (the previous 12 months' turnover) in December was 5.1 per cent and that in new product introduction 2.6 per cent, while volumes dipped 0.9 per cent, leading to an overall growth rate of 6.8 per cent, according to the data from market research firm Pharmatrac.
Which entrepreneur would willingly part with her or his hard-earned money for grasping, self-serving politicians? asks Debashis Basu.
Rising penetration of trade generic medicines is eating into the value growth of the domestic pharmaceutical market, showed a recent analysis. According to a Kotak Institutional Equities analysis, 70-110 basis points (bps) annual dent is expected from trade generics and Jan Aushadhi on Indian Pharma Market (IPM) growth at least until FY27-28 (see chart). Trade generic medicines are those that are not pushed into the market through doctor promotions.
Hospitals to recover from sluggish Q3; diagnostics' growth rate at pre-Covid levels.
Trade generic drugs (medicines that are sold directly through distributors) are fast becoming a key segment for domestic pharma firms as volume growth slows in the overall market. Big companies like Cipla and Alkem have a significant presence in the segment but recently, players like Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) have also entered this market. What is driving big pharma's focus on trade generics? The volume growth in the Indian Pharma Market (IPM) has come down from 5.6 per cent in FY16 to 0.1 per cent in FY23.
Alkem Labs was issued drug alerts twice last year -- in June and July -- for its drug Glimekem.
Torrent Pharmaceuticals' Rs 3,000 crore proposal for increasing FII investment limit to 35 per cent was the biggest in terms of value
Nutraceuticals, consisting of dietary supplements and functional foods with curative or nutritional benefits, are estimated to have a sales of $190 billion globally by 2010. India's food supplement and health food market is estimated currently at about $400 million. The country already has a clutch of established players focussing in this segment such as Avesthagen, Himalaya and Sami Labs.
These brands belong to about 320 drugs of leading Indian pharmaceutical companies. The Drug Controller General of India's (DCGI's) office feels that these have been launched without its approval.
Indian companies have raised $1 billion so far this year - almost four times what they raised last year.
Alkem, the largest manufacturer of Fructo-Oligo Saccharides, which helps the growth of good probiotic bacteria, is planning to roll out more products in the national and global markets, said Sharad.
Sun Pharmaceuticals, Alkem Laboratories and Ochoa Laboratories have signed contracts with the Geneva-based Horphag Research.
Ajit Mishra, vice president, research, Religare Broking, answers your stockmarket queries.
Indian exporters of ayurvedic drugs are finding it extremely difficult to tap this high-growth segment
Popular antacid Mucaine Gel, manufactured by Pfizer's subsidiary Wyeth Laboratories, was also found laced with the heavy metals as well as cadmium.
A key lesson for the pharmaceutical sector in this case is to not downplay the significant impact that regulatory non-compliance can have on operations.
Some of the popular brands that would be impacted include Phensedyl (Abbott), Tixylix (Abbott), Gluconorm PG (Lupin), Ascoril D (Glenmark), Solvin Cold (Ipca), D Cold Total (Paras Pharma).
Indian companies are now more confident about the execution skills of local banks.
Financial shares were the top losers.
Unfavourable secondary market conditions aren't a big concern for IPOs by good quality companies.
A recent report has suggested that future patent expires in the cardiac and anti-diabetes space would form a good opportunity for smaller firms, given their franchise in these segments.
Stocks and sectors impacted most by GST.
Nothing much has changed since the first Kamasutra condom commercial aired in 1991.
Currently, the govt directly caps prices of 348 formulations at the average price of all medicines in a particular segment with at least 1% market share
The government must not enter into what will be a little more than a large-scale transfer of taxpayers' money to the operators of private hospitals.
The Delhi High Court on Friday stayed the ban on some fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs of Glaxo SmithKline, Wockhardt and Laboratories Griffon but said action against their sale could be taken in the absence of valid sale and marketing licence.
Top gainers from the Sensex pack are Infosys, Cipla, NTPC, ITC and Lupin
Capital goods shares continued to trade firm in late noon despite weak market trend on the back of encouraging core sector growth in February.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances