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Biocon enters a high-stakes game with Viatris deal. Can it defy the market’s scepticism?

Biocon enters a high-stakes game with Viatris deal. Can it defy the market’s scepticism?
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Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, chairperson and MD, Biocon Ltd.

Synopsis

Biocon’s biosimilars business has quadrupled in the last five years, but where does it go from here? The Viatris deal ought to drive the next leg of growth. However, with no experience of commercialising biosimilars in developed markets, can it succeed where a large company like Viatris could not make a big impact? Besides, increasing debt is also fuelling concern.

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9 mins read, Last Updated:
In 2017, when the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approved the first biosimilar of breast-cancer drug trastuzumab, it was a big validation for Biocon’s development capabilities. Founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw described it as a “crowning moment” for the company, a result of its relentless work in the biosimilars space and navigation through several hurdles over the years. Shaw had placed bets on biosimilars in the early 2000s, much before

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