Bangalore based Avesthagen and pharma major Cipla and have expanded the scope of their ongoing biotherapeutics development programme. The expanded pipeline includes innovative next generation drugs that cater to the oncology and cardiovascular segments.

The announcement comes in the wake of successes in the ongoing collaborative product development program in autoimmune disorders and oncology that was announced earlier in May this year. The companies believe that though the markets for the chosen areas of collaboration are expanding at a rapid pace in India, there is presently a dearth of high quality next generation drugs to cater to these segments at an affordable price. The collaborative initiative - the first of its kind in India hopes to plug that gap.

Development of new technology platforms for expression of recombinant proteins forms an integral part of the partnership. The IP emerging from the development of new technologies will be shared between the two companies. The companies are also in the process of evaluating several options for large-scale manufacture of the pipeline products.

The Indian biopharmaceutical business, presently estimated at $200 million, is expected to grow to about $3.3 billion by 2007-08, dominated by recombinant proteins, vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. The Avestha-Cipla tie-up hopes to capitalize on this opportunity as a base, to catapult it into markets abroad.

Dr Villoo Morawalla Patell, Founder & CEO, Avesthagen mentioned, "With the collaboration with Cipla we are looking forward to a mutually productive relationship between our two companies. The expansion of the programme signifies Cipla's confidence in our delivery capabilities."

Avesthagen Avestha Gengraine Technologies Pvt Ltd, is India's leading fully integrated biotechnology and bioinformatics company, focusing on the convergence between food, Pharma and clinical genomics leading to preventive personalized medicine. The company provides innovative solutions for global challenges in agriculture and health problems in the areas of degenerative conditions, metabolic disorders and infectious diseases. The company's unique and internationally recognized business model is built on the synergetic links between R&D provided and on going initiatives for novel product development.