Mylan partnered Indian drug firms to keep R&D costs low

Homegrown firms saw R&D spend, as percentage of sales, rise in past 5 years

At a time when Indian pharmaceutical companies have seen an increase in their research and development (R&D) spend, US-headquartered Mylan has been able to keep R&D costs under control by following a partnership approach, and that, too, with Indian drug firms. 

From a 7.5 per cent of its sales in FY14, the share of R&D expenses as a percentage of sales for Mylan has dipped to 6.6 per cent in FY17 and analysts expect the share to be around 5.5 per cent in 2017-18. 

According to data from Edelweiss, Indian pharma major Glenmark saw its R&D costs (as percentage of