Pharmacy

...says Dr Panchapagesa Murali, Managing Director and CEO, Evolva India. He was also the Founder and Director of Dalmia Centre for R&D. He holds more than 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical and healthcare R&D. He discusses the future of R&D in the Indian market.

Jasleen Kaur Batra

After spending considerable time at Dalmia Centre, why the switch to Evolva?

Switching to Evolva from Dalmia was never about the job or opportunities; it was purely on the basis of trying to understand science and the various options it offers. At Dalmia (one of India's oldest and most distinguished business houses, which is into developing and launching natural products) we worked with natural products that were found in plants, we used whole cell plant cocktails and tried to launch a process where one may hot even know what is the active molecule or the mechanism of the action; one could only show efficacy. In the present day scenario, people are inquisitive and want to know the  step  by  step  mechanism, for instance what goes behind making a compound, how it works, what is the reaction, how does that affect the result and more. One can only give answers to such questions in a drug discovery organization. R&D enables one to not only find the answers to these questions but also prove their findings and make it more authentic and reliable.

Evolva is a company that deals with synthetic biology, which is a Hew area of biological research that    combines    science    and engineering. It encompasses a variety of approaches, methodologies and disciplines. I wanted to be associated with an organization where we could add credibility to our work by proving its mechanism and functionality. This was possible only at Evolva as we make the drug from scratch and monitor its reaction, the outcome is a definite structure and has a long list of findings attached to it, making it reliable and authentic. This was purely the reason behind the shift. It was the next best thing to do, and change was the only way I could grow and explore the other options within R&D.

How has the journey with Evolva been so far?

My tenure in Evolva began in 2006 as the CEO of Evolva India. The journey so far has been incredible. One really needs to keep in touch with technology or else he/she would have to chase it. Even after spending 25 years in this field, when it comes to evolving technology I believe I do not belong here. One has to try to be ahead of the curve. This was one of the reasons I joined Evolva, I wanted to learn   about the   technological   advancements that have taken over the world and Evolva gave me the chance to not only learn and keep myself updated but also to apply that and see how it changes the outcome. Evolva has been a good experience as far learning is concerned. In 2009 Evolva experienced   this   transformation and got listed under the Switzerland stock exchange. It was a moment of pride to have achieved this goal and be a part of it during its undertaking. My experience with Evolva has been overwhelming, I have not only got the opportunity to be a part of the developing industry but have also been a part of the growth the company has made.

A quick glance at Evolva…

• Is a leading pharmaceutical company into R&D for synthetic biology

• Focusses on pharmaceuticals, nutrition and consumer healthcare

• Is registered on the Switzerland stock exchange. With the head office in Switzerland and a unit in India- Chennai established in 2006

• Follows a Business-to-Business model

• It has a state-of-the-art R&D facility

• Can accommodate 4-5 projects at a time

• Evolva India has 20 staff members out of which 17 are for R&D

• Won an award for the 'Best Synthetic Biology Company of the Year 2011' for the European sector by Frost & Sullivan

Tell us about the Indian market for synthetic biology.

I have worked with molecular biology from the very beginning of my career, but synthetic biology is the future. It is a new field and is just catching up in other parts of the world; we at India are on the right parallel track. The way semiconductor chips are the future of IT, synthetic biology is for science. The changes that the medical industry will see in the near future will be based on synthetic biology, and hence we need more people entering this venture.

What is the next step for Evolva?

We have been doing fairly well; we are a company recognized globally and are associated with big names in the market. Our plan of action now is to expand our current capabilities and become an ingredient company. We want to make products, which are applied in pharmaceuticals, animal sciences as well as other places. The natural corollary is that now we are doing it at the R&D level and we would like to see if it can be scaled up to pilot level and also at levels where it can be made into products. The idea is to convert all the benefits of R&D into products. We are focussed on our ingredient nomenclature, and our focus will always remain on converting all our R&D benefits into products. Our future plans highly depend on the profile of our R&D pipeline. In the near future, we would also like to be one of the companies who has taken synthetic products from bench to bedside and would try to make these products available to all. This would be a cost-effective move.

How much investment is required to establish and run such an R&D facility?

We have state-of-the-art R&D facilities all over the world. There are four R&D facilities; one each in Denmark, US, Switzerland and India. In R&D we have invested an approximate amount of $180 billion. The cost of instruments such as fermentors,   analytical   equipment, detection    devices,    purification equipment, etc depends upon the size we go for. Hence, a lot of investment has to be made in terms of acquiring the new technology and maintaining it.

Tell us about your product pipeline.

Evolva is a biotech company focused on the discovery and development of drugs based on its distinctive and proprietary genetic chemistry platform and is doing fairly well. We recently received the 'Best Synthetic Biology Company of the Year 2011' for the European sector by Frost & Sullivan. Keeping in mind the market trend and our reputation, we are working on Stevia, Vanelin and allied products, for flavours and fragrances, targets for crop protection and more. Each of these is with big companies such as Roche, Abunda Nutrition Inc. These big companies that we have tie ups with are pioneers in their field and they are ready to venture into synthetic biology and the various products that it has to offer. Hence, our future plans would include extensive research to find better alternatives for the already existing agents.

Stevia for instance is a sweetener and its demand is growing in India as it is the diabetic capital of the world. We need several products that will help control diabetes. Such innovations would behelpful in lifestyle management. This has a wide range and can go into juices, cakes, softdrinks and more.

What are the visible trends in the Indian R&D?

The Indian R&D is gearing up; however, investment in core innovation is still low. This is largely due to the unavailability of venture funds in the country. The other bottleneck is the regulatory system, which impairs the progress of this industry. India has the potential to become a global leader; we have arrived at the scene and are one

of the countries to be reckoned with. We should grab this opportunity and try to make the most of it by initiating modern ideas and thought process that can be capitalized for our benefits. We also need to understand the importance of R&D in India and should work towards opening more such facilities to make India independent

and not seek a helping hand from other countries. Many companies have already come up and are doing some

incredible work and are bringing a wave of change into the medical and healthcare industry.