Biologics, mRNA and Bio Foundries to set the course for pharma’s next growth era: Experts at IPA’s virtual event

New Delhi: At a high-level webinar hosted by the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance and Centre for Process Innovation on “Navigating the Future of Biologics and mRNA,” the central message was clear: the next chapter of global pharma will be defined by biologics, mRNA, and integrated biofoundry ecosystems—and India has a strategic opportunity to lead.

The discussion focused on how a looming wave of global patent expiries, combined with the rapid rise of biosimilars, personalised medicine, and advanced therapies, is opening a major window for India’s biopharma sector. Speakers noted that capitalising on this moment will require far more than manufacturing scale alone. The future advantage, they stressed, will come from deep scientific capability, advanced process engineering, digitalisation, and strong international partnerships.

Moderated by Dr Shridhar Narayanan, the session featured insights from Dr Clare Trippett, Dr Helen Young, and Dr Arun Harish, who collectively explored how next-generation manufacturing approaches are reshaping biologics and mRNA production.

A major focus of the webinar was the growing role of process intensification, continuous manufacturing, and AI-led digitalisation. Experts discussed how tools such as digital twins, predictive analytics, and process analytical technologies are reducing batch failures, enabling real-time release testing, and sharply improving manufacturing efficiency and economics.

The panel also examined how the rise of cell and gene therapies is pushing the industry toward patient-specific and decentralised manufacturing models. Point-of-care production and localised manufacturing systems are increasingly becoming relevant, particularly for advanced biologics and mRNA-based therapies where speed and customisation are critical.

Another key theme was the evolution of mRNA from a pandemic-era innovation into a long-term therapeutic platform. The speakers emphasised that mRNA’s flexibility, rapid design cycle, and platform nature make it highly relevant for personalised medicine, oncology, vaccines, and rapid-response therapeutics.

The webinar placed significant emphasis on dose variability and manufacturing economics. From microgram-level vaccines to high-dose enzyme therapies, biologics present vastly different dose requirements, directly affecting scale, facility design, and cost per dose. This variability, the speakers noted, is one of the strongest drivers for process intensification and modular manufacturing systems.

Discussion also centred on the rising demand for mRNA and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery platforms, with experts noting that future manufacturing systems must be flexible enough to accommodate diverse dose sizes and multiple therapeutic modalities.

One of the most forward-looking segments of the webinar focused on platform-based manufacturing and RNA Bio Foundries. The panel explained that the industry is moving toward common manufacturing backbones capable of producing multiple modalities through shared infrastructure. Integrated systems linking IVT, purification, encapsulation, and final fill-finish were highlighted as the next frontier in reducing handoffs, improving scalability, and lowering cost per dose.

The session also connected these themes to India’s broader strategic ambitions, particularly through the country’s Biopharma Shakti initiative, which extends beyond pharmaceuticals into food, feed, agriculture, and the wider bioeconomy. Speakers noted that ongoing collaboration between CPI and India’s Department of Biotechnology could help build robust UK–India biofoundry ecosystems by aligning complementary strengths in innovation and scale-up.

At the same time, the webinar acknowledged two critical bottlenecks: limited industry participation and a widening skills gap in scale-up and process development. Without stronger ecosystem collaboration and specialised talent, the transition from laboratory innovation to clinical and commercial manufacturing could slow significantly.

The discussion concluded with a strong consensus that the future of biologics and mRNA manufacturing will not be defined merely by larger facilities, but by smarter, greener, integrated, and platform-driven systems. For India, the IPA webinar underscored that the opportunity is real—but leadership will depend on how quickly the country can translate scientific promise into scalable, collaborative execution.