Novo Nordisk partners with Shantha Biologics
Mumbai: Shantha Biologics has signed an agreement with Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk to manufacture cartridges for injectable medicines at its Hyderabad facility, marking a contract
Mumbai: Shantha Biologics has signed an agreement with Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk to manufacture cartridges for injectable medicines at its Hyderabad facility, marking a contract manufacturing win for the Indian company as global demand for diabetes and obesity therapies expands.The financial terms of the agreement and production volumes were not disclosed.Under the deal, Shantha will provide cartridge fill-finish services, a highly regulated manufacturing step in which sterile drug formulations are filled into pre-filled cartridges used in pen injectors for self-administration. The process is widely used for insulin, obesity drugs and other biologic medicines requiring precise dosing.Also Read: Telangana bets big on drug discovery hubThe partnership comes as multinational drugmakers increasingly look to expand manufacturing capacity for injectable therapies, particularly amid sustained demand for diabetes and obesity treatments.“Novo Nordisk choosing us as a CDMO partner for this work is a strong endorsement of the quality of our site, our processes and our technical capability.
It validates years of investment in building manufacturing systems that meet the standards global innovators expect, and it strengthens our case that India can be a serious partner in advanced manufacturing, not just a low-cost production base,” said Dr Vishy Chebrol, director of Shantha Biologics.The Hyderabad-based company said its cartridge fill-finish lines are automated and approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration. Alongside its vaccine business, Shantha has been expanding its contract manufacturing operations for injectable biologics, including insulin, GLP-1 therapies and antibody-based medicines.Also Read: Generics must not be imperiled over data protection: Satish Reddy, Chairman, Dr Reddy's LaboratoriesThe company was originally founded in 1993 by Dr. Varaprasad Reddy as a vaccine manufacturer and came under a
consortium led by Dr. Ravi Penmetsa and Dr. Vishy Chebrol in 2024.The global market for biologics contract development and manufacturing is expected to grow over the next several years as pharmaceutical companies increasingly outsource complex manufacturing processes. Shantha said it plans to expand its vaccines, biologics and injectable manufacturing businesses and expects its Hyderabad workforce to increase to about 500 employees.
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