A VC fund and its portfolio company, a molecular diagnostic startup developing a portfolio of predictive and prognostic oncology tests approached Sathguru to assess value of its portfolio of Intellectual Property including patents, trade secrets and trademarks.
A multinational conglomerate with global revenue north of USD 20 billion engaged Sathguru to assess and prioritize portfolio offerings to the Indian lifesciences industry and investment avenues with strategic merit for near to mid-term growth. Subsequent to a global re-organization activity, the Client had embarked on a critical planning activity to shape portfolio composition for enhanced competitiveness and steer growth strategically. Sathguru was chosen due to established level of industry depth and cross-functional experience across areas of client’s offerings to the industry.
Sathguru performed a comprehensive market opportunity assessment across the following application areas covering the breadth of biotech and pharma manufacturing (small molecule pharma, peptides, vaccines, biosimilars, novel biologics et al) in India:
Using a strategic funneling approach, we assessed overall level of evolving opportunity and derived demand in each of these application areas. Merit for expanded participation was assessed after considering competitive landscape, adjacencies and white space for growth, potential for innovation led sustained advantage andacquisition opportunities and possibility of accelerated growth. Portfolio recommendations were made for the near term as well as more strategically engineered mid-term participation in the Indian growth opportunity.
Given substantial breadth of opportunity analyzed and high level of uncertainty around certain areas of industry investment, extensive primary research was used to gain needed strategic inputs and more than 100 key informant interviews were conducted during the study.
A mix of qualitative and quantitative assessment methods were used to identify opportunities in all the four segments. Qualitative insights on current practices, market composition, competitor analysis, unmet needs and white space analysis was done through detailed secondary research and primary research with suppliers, end-users, industry experts and other significant stakeholders in all the segments. In addition to the above, regulatory landscape was also mapped to derive the business implications of upcoming regulations in different geographies and identify emerging business opportunities. Evolving technology landscape and global research pipeline were also analyzed to infer implications for near to mid-term portfolio decisions and evolving competitive landscape.
Quantitative analysis included high-level market sizing, estimating target and addressable market size, predicting demand volume and value over the next 5 years. As most application areas assessed derived demand from final products such as biosimilars, vaccines, peptides or small molecules, anticipated scenarios were developed for the final products and level of derived demand were inferred for prioritized products. Strategic considerations that will impact investment decisions of the biopharma industry were analyzed and opportunity and risk levers were accordingly factored in.
Final prioritization matrix was developed as a strategic input for portfolio prioritization and investment decision making. Opportunity areas were classified based on anticipated market size, strategic merit and potential for near-term, mid-term or long-term opportunities participation for growth. In prioritized application segments, more specific way forward recommendations were also made including acquisition and strategic partnership opportunities.
The study output has served as an input for global decision making and next steps (portfolio strengthening, development and implementation of commercial strategy) is currently being undertaken in certain areas recommended as high potential for near term growth.
Our client was a pioneering US company with valuation north of US$ 7 billion and drug discovery interests ranging from cellular therapeutics to dermatology.The Client was keen to develop a phytopharmaceutical portfolio that could be advanced as prescription drugs through the USFDA’s botanical drug pathway. The Client engaged Sathguru to assess scope of the opportunity, map landscape of phytopharmaceutical drug development, evaluate potential pipeline assets and finally, make recommendations on way forward on the overall portfolio strategy and potential strategic partners.
Sathguru adopted a bottom-up approach to comprehensively map this emerging opportunity while actively leveraging competitive intelligence to validate findings and identify leads. Since the botanical drug /phytopharmaceutical pathway is relatively recent, we also explored nutraceutical R&D programs/assets that could be repositioned as prescription drugs.
For the bottom up approach, we performed an exhaustive and comprehensive patent search to analyze prominent trends in natural product derived therapeutic solutions and identify prominent innovators in the segment. The map of potential partners/assets was also expanded through a review of institutional annual reports and inputs from primary research with key stakeholders.
A funneling approach with multiple parameters was used to shortlist assets which met key criteria prioritized with the Client. Confidential data shared by innovators was also assessed for all shortlisted assets. All shortlisted assets were finally ranked and prioritized based on techno-commercial merit.
As part of final recommendations, Sathguru advised the Client on overall partnership merit for each individual asset/partner identified. The study was instrumental to the Client making final way forward decision on the phytopharmaceutical portfolio strategy.
Pneumonia is the largest leading cause of mortality amongst children under 5 years of age in India. The pneumococcal vaccine market in India is currently dominated by multinationals with global sales of $4 billion. Our client Tergene, a venture led by an R&D veteran with prior history of product development addressing this unmet need in the market sought assistance from Sathguru to traverse from ideation to a feasible business in the vaccine sector.
Our client, a biotech company, was keen to assess the opportunity in human vaccines and develop a market entry strategy for the segment.
Sathguru performed a comprehensive opportunity assessment for the human vaccines segment and developed a business plan for the client. Sathguru assessed attractiveness of commercial opportunity and financial viability of the segment overall as well as individual products. Additionally, Sathguru also performed a techno-commercial review to understand viability of technology access and identify innovation trends shaping the mid-term industry landscape and market opportunity.
As a Phase I effort, Sathguru performed a dip stick study assessing high-level commercial opportunity across various product opportunities (currently marketed and emerging opportunities) to identify products to be considered for near term and mid-term portfolio inclusion. Based on this high-level Phase I effort, Sathguru prioritized products to be considered for Phase II which included a comprehensive review of technology access feasibility, product level RoI assessment and development of comprehensive segment strategy, business plan and financial model.
An actionable business plan with specific recommendations on products to be pursued, capex to be incurred, technology access possibility to be explored with a full picture on financial implications.
Our client was a PE fund contemplating investment in an IVF clinic chain in India. To assess the opportunity more holistically and identify critical factors to drive growth in the future, the client was keen on a limited due-diligence
Our client intended to explore the possibility of a commercial breast milk bank in India and was keen to understand the high-level feasibility, risk and key consideration for the business plan.
Sathguru was involved in landscaping product development capabilities and product pipelines of public and private sector entities to identify opportunities for accelerating commercialization
Our client, the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), was scouting for expert consulting service providers to support its effortstowards conceptualizing potential Product Development Partnership (PDP) opportunities to accelerate development of vaccines and biologics in India. Complementing BIRAC’s emphasis on vaccines and biologics, the study included an effort to identify projects with significant advancement in the public research system. We engaged with most of the leading public research entities in the DBT and CSIR network, key public funders, representative sample of private entities andsignificant philanthropic funders and PDP managers.
Sathguru led a study to assess local manufacturing capacity, pipeline strength and specifications of products in India for certain vaccines that were under consideration by the Government for near term adoption in the national immunization program.
Our client, the Immunization Technical Support Unit, is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and other partners with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to provide techno-managerial support for scaling up India’s Universal Immunization Program (UIP) and support implementation of India’s strategic goals for immunization. To support decision making on adoption of additional vaccines in the UIP, ITSU was keen to understand capacity in India in specific identified vaccines.
Sathguru interacted with several doctors, clinical staff, mothers and families across segments and income classes in the chosen location. Through this extensive primary research effort, Sathguru analyzed high-level findings on product need, acceptability across clinical community and end user groups, key barriers to adoption, social and risk considerations, risk mitigation possibilities, operational considerations and commercial implications.Sathguru analyzed all regulatory implications of product related and health related regulations currently applicable in India.
The approach included analysis of information from a combination of sources – secondary research, primary research with Indian and multinational companies and information gathered from our prior interactionwith various stakeholders.
A report illustrating a comprehensive picture of current and emerging capacity in the identified vaccines with critical details on product specifications and qualitative insights required for use in policy making and implementation.
Sathguru helped a major international developmental agency to landscape POC diagnostics and research innovation in India.
