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Top Stories Pharmaceuticals

INDUSTRIAL GASES PHARMA INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

Linde starts up new ASU in Hyderabad Global pharma resilient with India the chief benefi ciary

Praxair India Pvt. Ltd., a subsi- of macro changes: CPHI Annual Survey
diary of global industrial gases ma-
jor, Linde, has announced the com- Ahead of this month’s CPHI lateralised metric of all small molecule also saw improvements in its score for
mencement of commercial produc- Barcelona – the leading pharma trade categories in the survey – reported its ‘biologics quality’ and fi nished only
tion at its air separation unit (ASU) at fair (October 24-26th, 2023) – and second highest ever total, just 2.5% narrowly behind the US for ‘overall
Patancheru in Hyderabad, Telangana CPHI & PMEC India to be held at down on the 2022 all-time high. This competitiveness’. Consequently, the
on October 14, 2023. This plant will India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi highly positive result highlights the report predicts India is undergoing an
be producing in total 250 tonnes per NCR (November 28-30), key high- medium-term trajectory of the industry accelerating transformation from a
day of gases including liquid medical lights from the CPHI pharma survey and the underlying strength of market generics hub to an innovation focused
oxygen, nitrogen and argon, catering have been released. The full fi ndings fundamentals. pharma economy, driven by the incre-
to the requirements of healthcare, will be published at CPHI Barcelona as mental steps of its largest CDMOs.
pharma and other industrial sectors of part of the CPHI Annual Report. The US remained the top overall India is also predicted to the see the
the region. ranked nation (when evaluated across fastest CAGR in biologicals over in
Linde received offi cial approval from of Telangana and will reduce depen- The report will provide a for- all criteria), with India continuing to the next 5-years, as it quickly builds
The construction of this ASU pro- Government of Telangana. “The new dency on supply from other states,” ward-looking steer on pharma business make year-on-year inroads and looks a bio CDMO base similar to those we
ject was completed within an 18-month Hyderabad ASU provides us with a said Mr. R. C. Kaushik, Head of Sales, confi dence in the year ahead and feature well placed for signifi cant growth have already seen emerge in China and
timeframe, starting April 2022, when manufacturing base in the key market Healthcare & AT, Linde – India. the insights from more than 250 global in 2024 – particularly as the country Korea.
pharma executives. In line with wider moves from a generic focussed industry
market sentiments, pharma confi dence to one that increasingly supports global The report also highlights Indo-
STABLE OUTLOOK
has dipped below the record scores innovators. western partnering fuelling demand
Indian road logistics industry on a smooth ride in of 2022, but has remained extremely thanks to the shift toward a ‘China plus
resilient despite wider macro uncertainly, In fact, India remained top of the one’ strategy. The report predicts that
FY2024: ICRA the survey revealed. ‘growth category’ for the second year in the next 5 years, an ‘India plus one’
running (scoring 7.8 out of 10) moving strategy could emerge as the predomi-
The ‘CPHI Pharma Index’ – a col- further clear of the US. The country nant approach.
Ratings agency, ICRA, anticipates dent & Sector Head – Corporate Rat-
a favourable demand scenario for the ings, ICRA, said, “Despite the decline JOINT EFFORT
road logistics sector in FY2024, aided in crude oil prices in Q1 FY2024,
by stable domestic consumption and the operating margins of the logistics Karnataka and AstraZeneca collaborate to screen
investment demand. players were impacted due to the lag
in price hikes. The subsequent sharp for lung diseases including cancer
The industry revenue growth is rise in prices in Q2 FY2024, raised
pegged at 6-9% in FY2024 on an ele- concerns over the ability of the logis- In an initiative that will screen detected too late, said Dr. Anil Kukreja, he said. AstraZeneca is hopeful that the
vated base of FY2023, driven primarily tics players to pass on the cost to their patients for lung ailments, including Vice President (Medical Affairs and one-year initiative with the Karnataka
by demand from varied segments like customers. Further, road logistics cancer, the Karnataka Government has Regulatory), AstraZeneca India. The Government generates enough learnings
e-commerce, FMCG, retail, chemicals, scenario. The industry debt coverage players also remain exposed to envi- inked an agreement with AstraZeneca AI-powered chest X-ray system will to be able to shape a national policy, he
pharmaceuticals, and industrial goods, metrics are expected to ease marginally ronmental and social risks. Tightening Pharma India, to use artifi cial intel- help early detection of lung nodules, added.
coupled with the industry’s paradigm in FY2024 compared to the FY2023 emission control norms necessitate ligence-based lung cancer screening often precursors to lung cancer, and the
shift towards organised logistics pla- levels with a likely contraction in ope- alternative fuel vehicle investments or technology. early detection would facilitate early AstraZeneca is talking to other
yers, post-GST and e-way bill imple- rating margins because of infl ationary investments in the current fl eet. They medical intervention, said Dr. Kukreja. states as well, for similar initiatives.
mentation. ICRA expects the outlook input cost pressures, primarily elevated are also exposed to litigation/pena- The technology developed by Presently, there is national screening The data generated remains with the
for the sector to remain stable. crude oil prices and debt – funded capital lties arising from issues related to Qure.ai will screen a patient for 29 for blood, cervical and oral cancers, he hospitals, Dr. Kukreja said, clarifying
expenditure for vehicle replacement, harmful emissions and waste, which lung diseases from one chest X-ray. said, but this would be a fi rst for lung that the company merely received
Downside risks to the estimates required prior to the introduction of may lead to fi nancial implications And the initiative would help 1.4-lakh cancer. an anonymised dashboard that helps
remain from any material tapering of the Scrappage Policy along with a high and impact reputation. The social risk patients across 19 district hospitals in assess the effectiveness of the pro-
demand due to elevated infl ation and interest rate regime. includes driver shortage, health, safety, the State, a joint note from the Govern- AstraZeneca has a global collabora- gramme. There is also no involvement
interest rates and global supply – demand and quality of work-life balance for ment and AstraZeneca said. Lung tion with Qure.ai and their techno- of AstraZeneca’s medicines in this
shifts impacting the Indian economic Mr. Suprio Banerjee, Vice Presi- drivers”. cancer is a silent disease and is often logy has been deployed in this initiative, initiative, he added.

144 Chemical Weekly October 24, 2023 Chemical Weekly October 24, 2023 145

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