Blockbuster diabetes drug on way from India

India, in expert opinion as the world’s new diabetes hotspot, is also home to numerous biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies. One of the leading firms, the bio-tech company Bioco, have several potentially ‘blockbuster’ drugs in the pipeline. The CMD of the company, a Ms. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, cautioned that they would not hit the market for between two and four years, however.
She also highlighted the fact that, although the blockbuster drugs could have an enormous role in the treatment of diabetes and cancer, research and medical predictions always lack certainty. She was reported as saying “We have a very interesting research pipeline. We are developing a number of products which could be potential blockbusters” and furthermore: “it’s not something that can be predicted. Research is a very unpredictable business. If it happens it’s a huge bonanza. If it doesn’t, it’s a huge lot of money.”
Ms Shaw, who lives in Padmashri, founded the company Biocon in 1978 with the support of an Irish firm.
Many experts have speculated on the likelihood of smaller biotech firms emerging over the next decade and wrestling a proportion of the pharmaceutical market from established industry leaders. Bioco, one of the leading biotech companies in the developing world, could prove to be one of these.