Natco Pharma Ltd.

Drugmaker Natco Pharma has signed a pact with Switzerland-based Chemo Sa Lugano to source and sell bio-generic products in India and other Asian countries. The pact allows Natco to source four monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from the Mabxience, a unit of Chemo Sa Lugano, and use them for manufacturing and commercialising finished dosages. Of the four products, three are cancer treatment molecules and one is used in the treatment of auto-immune diseases. Monoclonal antibodies is a highly innovative market globally valued at about Rs 17,250 crore ($35 billion) with insignificant presence of generic products. With the product combinations chosen by Natco, the mAb initiative is likely to be completed over a period of 24-36 months.