Manufacturing Excellence, resulting affordable remedy to the marketplace: Zydus

“We should be concerned not only about the health of individual patients, but also the health of our entire society”. – Ben Carson

Zydus Cadila is a fully integrated, global healthcare provider, with strengths all along the pharmaceutical value chain. With a core competence in the field of healthcare, Zydus Cadila provides total healthcare solutions ranging from formulations, active pharmaceutical ingredients and animal healthcare products to wellness products.

Recently, the group launched Exemptia, the world’s first biosimilar for Adalimumab, the largest selling therapy worldwide for inflammatory arthritis. Zydus is also the only Indian pharma company to launch its own patented NCE – Lipaglyn, the world’s first drug to be approved for the treatment of diabetic dyslipidemia. The group’s origin can be traced to 1952 when it was founded by Late Mr. Ramanbhai B. Patel, a first-generation entrepreneur and one of the stalwarts of the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry. In 1995, the group restructured its operations and Cadila Healthcare came into being under the aegis of the Zydus group.

Founded in 1952, The Company is one of the oldest players in the Indian formulations market. Besides continuously improving its market presence and market share, the group has also expanded its portfolio by entering newer therapeutic areas. The group has been launching new products with the first mover advantage and has a strong presence in both acute and chronic therapies. These strategic initiatives have helped Zydus become one of the dominant players in the Indian formulations market with the leadership position in several therapeutic categories.

Striving for Betterment of Humankind

Vaccine Technology Center: It is the vaccine research centre of the Zydus Group. VTC has two state-of-the-art R & D Centers, one located in Catania, Italy and the other in Ahmedabad, in the western part of India. The division has indigenously developed, manufactured and launched India’s first vaccine against H1N1 (Vaxiflu-S). The Vaccine Division’s Rabies Vaccine Manufacturing facility has received WHO pre-qualification and is one of the largest Rabies manufacturing facility in India.

The current programs under development include vaccine candidates designed to address infectious diseases like next-generation Influenza, Measles-Mumps-Rubella-Varicella, Typhoid, DPT-HiB, Hepatitis-B, Hepatitis-A, Hepatitis-E, Japanese Encephalitis, HPV and combination vaccines. Research is also focused on developing a Malaria vaccine.

The Ramanbhai Foundation: It is a bi-annual series of symposia devoted to the discussion of new trends in the pharmaceutical industry with a view to promoting scientific excellence in drug discovery and development. Ramanbhai Foundation is named after a pathfinder, Late Mr. Ramanbhai B. Patel, who had dedicated his life to the quest of knowledge, as an academician, entrepreneur and a research scientist. He believed that new paths would surely open up if one has the creative will to discover it.

The theme of the RBF 1st International Symposium held in the year 2003 was ‘Current Trends in Pharmaceutical Sciences’. The emphasis was on the development of therapeutic molecules from mouse to man. The theme of the Ramanbhai Foundation 2nd International Symposium was ‘Current Trends in Pharmaceutical Sciences’ with an emphasis on the role of genomics and proteomics research in drug discovery and development process.

Innovation Programmes: The Innovation programme is spearheaded by 1200 researchers across 19 sites, working on differentiated medicines for the future. From NCEs to vaccines, biosimilars and niche technologies, the group is exploring different ideas and concepts to bring in a relentless flow of innovation. In 2013, the group was the first to identify and develop Lipaglyn (Saroglitazar) and launch India’s first NCE in the market. Recently at the end of 2014, the group launched Exemptia, the world’s first biosimilar for Adalimumab, the largest selling therapy worldwide for inflammatory arthritis.

New chemical entities: The Zydus Research Centre is the dedicated NCE research arm, with its team of over 400 research professionals, ZRC spearheads the group’s quest of creating healthier and happier communities globally. Spread over an area of over 4,75,000 sq ft, it is working on cutting edge technologies in 14 different scientific disciplines to discover novel therapeutic agents. The centre has capabilities to conduct drug discovery & development from concept to IND enabling preclinical and clinical studies.

Zydus Biologics: It is the biologics research wing, it has capabilities to discover and develop therapeutic proteins and monoclonal antibodies. The centre has a cGMP facility for manufacturing therapeutic protein based drugs and has developed and launched several therapeutic protein based drugs, it has a 11,000 liter cGMP facility for manufacturing monoclonal antibodies which is the largest in India.

Meet the Key Executive

Pankaj R. Patel, Chairman and MD: Pankaj Ramanbhai Patel (born 1951) is the current Chairman and Managing Director of Cadila Healthcare, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in India. Patel was tied for 26th place on Forbes magazine’s first annual list of the 40 richest Indians in 2004.

Pankaj was named the “Best Pharma Man of the year 2003” by the Foundation of Indian Industry and Economists] in recognition of the growth of Cadila under his leadership. At that time, Patel predicted that Zydus Cadila would become the third-largest pharmaceutical company in India by 2005. He holds Bachelor of Pharmacy and Master of Pharmacy degrees from Gujarat University, as well as a BA in Science and Law from the University. In August 2012, Patel, along with Dinesh Patel, the chairman of Sintex Industries, purchased a Challenger-604 jet.

“Quality Excellence goes beyond compliance. It’s an assurance of quality care.”