Industry veteran and mentor to many, Ranjit Shahani steered Novartis India with seeming calm through a rocky phase when the Glivec patent case ruling didn't go the Swiss multinational's way - perhaps not unusual for someone who had seen the ebbs and flows of life closely when his parents moved to India as refugees from Pakistan.

The arrival of an indigenous CAR-T cell therapy, a shot at GLP-1s and Parkinson’s disease, strides into adjacencies and an “easy revenue stream” formula for products set to lose exclusivity are some of the striking developments seen playing out in India. Industry leaders, including Cipla’s CEO, share their views with Scrip on some of the key trends in the first instalment of this two-part roundup.

Private equity-controlled J B Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, which recently snapped up a basket of ophthalmology brands from Novartis in India, expects to drive momentum to make key product franchises bigger and stronger, while also building on the CDMO business. 

As family-led firms go through a churn in India, Lupin’s MD Nilesh Gupta speaks about adding value via adjacencies to the legacy business, building digital interfaces and a healthcare continuum for patients. In an interview with Scrip, he also emphasized Lupin promoters are neither interested in selling their own stake nor in acquiring that of Cipla’s promoters.