Pharmaceuticals Financial News

India's pharmaceutical reputation, however, was harder to contain.This wasn't an anomaly. It was a pattern.

standing out in a falling market, and what’s driving their strength.Lupin is trading at ₹2,335, just shy of its 52-week high of ₹2,376, and is up 11% so far in 2026.An integrated pharmaceutical company, Lupin operates across formulations and APIs, with formulations contributing about 95% of revenue. Geographically, the US remains its largest market, followed by India and other developed and emerging markets.It ranks as the third-largest pharmaceutical player in the US by prescriptions and eighth in the Indian market.Financially, Lupin has delivered steady growth.

In a first, India plans to publicly disclose findings from inspections of drug manufacturing units, marking a shift towards greater transparency and quality monitoring, according to two government officials and documents reviewed by Mint.According to the proposal being discussed, the country’s apex drugs regulator, Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), will publish details of inspected firms and audit recommendations on its website, as India's pharmaceuticals sector faces heightened scrutiny over quality.The plan assumes significance for the country's $50 billion pharmaceutical market in the backdrop of Indian-manufactured cough syrups being linked to over 140 deaths in countries, including Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon, due to ethylene glycol poisoning.The office of Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), headed by Rajeev Raghuvanshi, conducts these risk-based inspections (RBI) to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules.“It has been desired that CDSCO may examine the feasibility of displaying brief details of firms inspected under RBI along with the recommendations of the inspection team, after due consideration of legal implications," according to the documents reviewed by Mint. "During such inspections, inspection teams make observations and recommendations based on risk assessment.

NEW DELHI: Patients may no longer be forced to buy an entire strip of tablets or capsules when they need only one or a few of them.India’s apex drugs regulator plans to introduce a rule mandating pharmacies to dispense the exact number of tablets and capsules prescribed by allowing the sale of cut strips, according to two government officials and documents reviewed by Mint.Many drugs, including antibiotics, are typically sold in strips of 10 or 15 tablets or capsules when patients may require only five tabs. A proposal on dispensing exact prescription quantities of strip-packed medicines was discussed at a meeting chaired by the Drugs Controller General of India on 20 March.This regulatory shift is significant for India's $50 billion pharmaceutical industry and perhaps even more so for the retail pharmacy market, which was valued at $20 billion-27 billion in 2024.

The simultaneous patent expiry of Ozempic’s active ingredient in China and India on Friday was a watershed moment. Until now, these weight-loss drugs have been available largely to people with means. The launch of affordable generic versions will be a levelling force in healthcare, with global consequences.That’s because the world’s two most-populous countries aren’t just consumers.

Mint.The development is significant for India’s pharmaceutical market, valued at $50 billion and largely dominated by allopathic medicines. By comparison, the homeopathy segment is worth around $847 million.A proposal from the Ayush ministry was discussed last month by the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to promote homeopathy medicines across the country.

New Delhi: As the war in West Asia disrupts global trade flows, the Indian government has launched a sweeping audit of critical supply chains to map vulnerabilities and reduce import dependence, according to three government officials and documents reviewed by Mint.The exercise, which covers sectors such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, fertilizers and textiles, comes amid concerns that supply shocks could derail India’s growth trajectory.“The plan is to identify structural vulnerabilities in India’s industrial landscape, with a focus on supply chain dependencies and manufacturing capabilities,” the first official cited above said on condition of anonymity.A detailed government questionnaire circulated by the commerce ministry’s supply chain division—reviewed by Mint—to key stakeholders has asked firms to disclose granular data on import dependence, covering specific items, source countries, reliance on foreign suppliers, and whether key inputs are “irreplaceable or non-substitutable”.The questionnaire also seeks production metrics such as HSN-coded output, domestic and export turnover, and constraints to scale, including technology licensing barriers and infrastructure gaps.

Novo Nordisk to treat type-2 diabetes, semaglutide, delivered in an injection, has gained global attention for its weight-loss benefits. The drug is sold under brand names Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus (oral pill) by the Danish pharma giant.With patent protection expiring, companies including Dr.

Global investors are increasingly questioning how private Indian companies are being valued, creating an opening for consulting firms to step in with independent valuation advisory services.When Jamil Khatri launched a valuations practice at Uniqus Consultech last week, the firm’s sixth service line, the timing was not incidental. Across the 300-plus clients the former KPMG executive had built the firm around since founding it in 2022, the same need kept resurfacing.“Sponsors reporting to LPs and investors, or corporates, are asking for faster turnaround, greater precision, and a more transparent methodology,” Khatri told Mint.

New Delhi: India has issued a new quality control order (QCO) for aluminium and aluminium alloy products, mandating compliance of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms by domestic and overseas firms for a wide range of products used across engineering, packaging, construction and electrical applications. India has seen a sharp rise in imports of the metal and its products in the recent past.The order comes in the backdrop of withdrawal of over 50 quality control orders imposed on various intermediary products and the relaxation of compliance requirements for some others.The 13 March order issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) replaces the QCO of 2025.

Mumbai: Umesh Modi Group’s Win-Medicare Pvt Ltd (WMPL), the maker of household brands like Betadine and Movicol, is looking to sell a minority stake in a deal valued between $150 million and $200 million, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The company has appointed EY as its advisor to lead the search for potential buyers, they said.“About $100 million is likely to be secondary, with the parent entity expected to offload a minority stake, while the remaining component would be primary but subject to the company’s expansion plans,” two of the people cited above said on the condition of anonymity.The third person said, “The deal was launched about two months ago and several private equity firms have been tapped as part of the process.

aviation and maritime corridors that connect India with key West Asian markets, complicating travel planning for patients and increasing freight expenses for exporters.While companies have yet to report a sustained demand shock, hospitals and drugmakers say the disruption to mobility and logistics systems underpinning cross-border healthcare and medicine trade raises the risk of softer medical travel volumes and higher export costs if tensions persist.The aviation disruption is particularly significant for India’s medical tourism sector, which recorded approximately 644,387 foreign tourist arrivals in 2024. It is particularly exposed to West Asia, a region that accounts for nearly 18% of inbound patients, or about 115,000 travellers, seeking treatment ranging from complex surgeries to advanced clinical care.As regional airspace comes under heightened security scrutiny, industry leaders say travel uncertainty is beginning to influence patient decision-making.

Mint at the Air Cargo India 2026 being held in Mumbai.“So, we will have a total of five freighters weekly into India once we add the new freighter frequencies,” he said. When asked about shifting operations as Mumbai airport will close its freighters operations, Abbas said, “Yes, we will adapt as needed”, and will consider moving to the new airport in the state, Navi Mumbai.Currently, Emirates carries around 600 tonnes of pharmaceuticals and 500 tonnes of perishables from India each week, out of a total weekly uplift of 3,000 tonnes.Mint earlier reported that five foreign freighters, including FedEx and a DHL-Lufthansa joint venture, are expected to start operations at Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) from May.

backed by the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme—where the Indian government provides financial incentives based on incremental sales—and a minimum import price, Aurobindo is reversing that arc.In an exclusive interview with Mint, Madan Mohan Reddy, a whole-time director of Aurobindo Pharma, said the decision was far from impulsive. “It wasn’t a tough call to make,” he said.

Mint first reported that IndiaRF has mandated Rothschild to help scout for buyers for the portfolio company that is seeking a valuation of about $1 billion.The stake sale underscores rising investor appetite for scaled API platforms with export-heavy books, especially as India’s pharma supply chain strengthens its position in regulated markets and private equity firms seek pre-IPO opportunities in defensible healthcare assets.“The exact amount of the ongoing fundraise is contingent to an acquisition that Synthimed is evaluating,” a third person said. “If the acquisition goes as planned, the round may potentially become larger with a primary capital infusion.

The government has mandated a three-month buffer stock of medicines under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), which covers 4.2 million beneficiaries across 81 cities, in a move aimed at tackling recurring shortages and potentially boosting medicine sales while also keeping an eye on quality, according to two government officials and documents reviewed by Mint.The policy was approved for adoption 15 January 2026. The CGHS Directorate is currently rolling out operational guidelines and updating its digital systems to facilitate real-time tracking and buffer stock management.The health and family welfare ministry's move comes in the backdrop of a growing number of complaints regarding medicine shortages and delayed service; with the Centre framing a comprehensive Drug Procurement Policy for the marquee health scheme.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: In a move to enhance transparency and curb corruption in India’s pharmaceutical regulatory process, the Union government is working on a plan to overhaul drug sampling and testing procedures, according to two officials and documents reviewed by Mint.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Stock market update: Post the sharp decline, the absence of global markets brought back some cheer. The trends remain tentative as they try to defend the lower levels.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In the pharmaceutical world, a CDMO (contract development and manufacturing organization) is essentially the “powerhouse behind the brand". Instead of a pharma company building its own factories and labs, which costs a lo, they hire a CDMO to handle everything from the initial drug chemistry to mass-producing the final pills or injections.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. French drug innovator Servier is partnering with domestic players to develop, manufacture and export formulations for the global market, highlighting India’s growing role in global R&D.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : With US tariffs sharply reduced and policy uncertainty easing, Indian exporters are gearing up to resume exports at the revised duty rates. Industry executives say the move could double India’s exports to the US over the next four to five years.