Tata Industries Ltd. (TIL) has taken a 26-30% stake in US based Indigene Pharmaceuticals, a growing bio pharmaceuticals company with operations in Boston, Europe and India with a focus on developing and delivering molecular combination based products for global prescription and consumer healthcare markets.

Ratan N Tata, chairman, TIL said, “The Tata Group has been actively seeking new opportunities in knowledge- based industries. Biotechnology and bio-pharmaceuticals areas offer great potential in creating value and improving the quality of life for people around the world.”

Indigene has also established an alliance with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for developing leads in selected disease areas. According to R A Mashelkar, director general, CSIR, and secretary, Union Department for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Pharma industry is facing challenges including spiraling drug prices, shrinking new product pipe lines and unmet medical needs. “To address this, we require the new-age pharma approach that Indigene is building. We are looking forward to this alliance with Indigene” he said.

Meantime, Indigene, established in 2002, is set to launch four consumer healthcare products in large self-medication areas initially in the US, followed by India and other geographies. These include Relaxane (for stress), Memoryl (for maintenance of memory), Pre-Tense (for nervous tension) and LAXelle (gentle cramp free laxative for women). Indigene anticipates that Indian consumers will get to see the first of its products in 2007. M.Vaman Rao, Chairman and CEO, of Indigene Pharmaceuticals, said, “The $22 –billion Tata Group’s unique standing in the corporate world will further strengthen Indigene’s position as it continues to grow,” he added.

With a technology platform called, ‘Multiceutics’, Indigene has been developing molecular combinations optimized to work on multiple pathways associated with diseases and symptoms, leading to better medicines.

Healthy deal

Indigene is set to launch four consumer healthcare products in large self-medication areas starting with the US.
These include Relaxne, Memoryl, Pre-Tense and LAXelle.
It hopes to launch its first product in India sometime during 2007.

Indigene scouting for local partners

Indigene Pharmaceuticals, which aims to launch its biotech drugs in India by next year, is looking to strike marketing partnership with domestic players.
“We don’t have sufficient marketing team in India at present. We are looking for multiple partners for product-specific marketing collaborations”, M. Vaman Rao, Chairman and CEO, Indigene Pharmaceuticals, told DNA Money. It also plans to in-license biotech drugs from some local firms.
Indigene’s R&D lab in India will be commissioned by the year-end at Hyderabad. “Our total investment for R&D Lab will be about $10 million. The recruitment for the scientists has been started already”, sad Rao. It plans to conduct human trials for various biotech molecules like those for allergic rhinitis and diabetes in India. “We want to outsource the trial to independent clinical research organizations,” Rao added.