India’s Biocon ranks among the top 10 employers in biotechnology industry

India’s bio-pharma major Biocon Ltd has been ranked among the world’s top 10 employers in the biotechnology industry by an international science magazine.

About Biocon :

Biocon Limited is an Indian biopharmaceutical company based in Bangalore, India. The Company manufactures generic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that are sold in the developed markets of the United States and Europe.

• It also manufactures biosimilar Insulins, which are sold in India as branded formulations and in both bulk and formulation forms. In research services, Syngene International Limited (Syngene) is engaged in the business of custom research in drug discovery while the other fully owned subsidiary Clinigene International Limited (Clinigene) is in the clinical development space.
• Syngeneis a listed entity in Indian Capital Market. In December 2009, Biocon acquired the Active Pharma Ingredients (API) undertaking from IDL Speciality Chemicals Ltd., a subsidiary of Gulf Oil Corporation Limited.
• Located with R&D in Bangalore and API unit in Hyderabad, India, Biocon has two subsidiaries— Syngene, a custom research organisation, and Clinigene, a clinical research organisation. Biocon’s presence straddles four main therapeutic areas—Diabetology, Cardiology, Nephrology and Oncology— and plans to introduce two new divisions, Comprehensive Care, and Immunotherapy.
• Biocon’s cardiology, nephrology, diabetology and oncology products including BESTOR, BASALOGTM, BioMAb EGFR, STATIX, NUFIL safe, INSUGEN, TACROGRAF, ERYPRO safe, and MYOKINASE are claimed to be considerably less expensive than other leading brands.
• Two of its novel programs on the verge of proof-of-concept stage are IN-105, which is the only oral insulin in the world to be in long duration clinical trials, and the T1h, a novel humanised monoclonal antibody (MAb), the only first-in-class novel MAb being tested in India for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.
• Between 2005 and 2010, Biocon entered into more than 2,200 high-value R&D licensing and other deals within the pharmaceuticals and bio-pharmaceutical space.
• It has also expanded its global footprint to emerging and developed markets through acquisitions, partnerships and in-licensing. Biocon’s Corporate Social Responsibility wing, the Biocon Foundation, is involved in numerous health and education outreach programs targeting the underprivileged sections of India.
• In 2009–10, Biocon’s net income increased 44% to₹24.048 billion (US$360 million), crossing the half-billion-dollar mark and profits grew 215% to ₹2.933 billion (US$44 million).
• The pharmaceutical business exceeded Rs.871 billion (US$3.0 billion) in revenue and the net R&D expenditure increased to Rs.917 million (US$14 million), growing 42% over 2008 and up 282% over 2005, while its research services business crossed ₹2.807 billion (US$42 million).
• Biocon, Syngene and Clinigene together employ approximately 4,500 personnel including biologists, chemists, medical practitioners, pharmacologists, engineers, finance/legal/marketing analysts, HR generalists and general administrators.
• Around 6% of its employees have PhD degrees, 45% have a master’s degree, and 33% are graduates. Biocon also collaborates with educational institutes to make courses more industry oriented.

About the rankings,

According to a web-based annual survey by the magazine, the city-based company moved to ninth this year from 13 last year in the ‘Science 2016 Top Employer‘ ranking, which is based on firms that are innovative leaders in the industry, are socially responsible and have a clear vision.

• The ranking is recognition of its high quality talent aligned with the vision of innovation-led enterprise that is socially responsible.
• Of the top 10 employers, six are based in the US, two (Novo Nordisk and Novozymes) in Denmark and one (Roche) in Switzerland.
• The US-based ranked biotech firms are Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Moderna Therapeutics, Eli Lily, Vertex, Genetech and Alexion.
• The company employees asserted that top firms operate as meritocracies have adequate resources, trusted brands and are responsive to their stakeholders.