Startup Corner - Express Pharma https://www.expresspharma.in/category/startup-corner/ Express Pharma Wed, 03 Aug 2022 12:00:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.1 Generic Aadhaar raises Pre-series A funding from Beyond Next Ventures https://www.expresspharma.in/generic-aadhaar-raises-pre-series-a-funding-from-beyond-next-ventures/ https://www.expresspharma.in/generic-aadhaar-raises-pre-series-a-funding-from-beyond-next-ventures/#comments Wed, 03 Aug 2022 12:00:30 +0000 https://www.expresspharma.in/?p=439528

The fresh capital will be deployed to help Generic Aadhaar expand its franchisee store growth targets from 1,500 to 3,000, achieve its digitisation goals and widen its range of medicine product offerings

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Generic Aadhaar has raised an undisclosed amount Pre-Series A funding from Beyond Next Ventures, a leading Japanese venture capital firm in the deep tech and healthcare space. The deal has resulted catapulting his company valuation to reach Rs 500 crore, a statement from Generic Aadhaar notified.

The fresh capital will be deployed to help Generic Aadhaar expand its franchisee store growth targets from 1,500 to 3,000, achieve its digitisation goals and widen its range of medicine product offerings, the statement added.

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Merck’s Uptune programme to collaborate with startups in India https://www.expresspharma.in/mercks-uptune-programme-to-collaborate-with-startups-in-india/ https://www.expresspharma.in/mercks-uptune-programme-to-collaborate-with-startups-in-india/#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2022 04:48:48 +0000 https://www.expresspharma.in/?p=439486

The programme will start in mid-November 2022

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Merck Specialities has launched its Uptune programme in India, that aims to generate opportunities in collaboration with early-stage innovative companies, according to a company statement.

The programme is the company’s startup collaboration and targets to support early-stage companies across India that are working on relevant topics within healthcare, lifescience, electronics and smart manufacturing. It also focusses on solutions for digital health; innovative technologies/materials for semiconductor and display; cellular, molecular- and immuno-assays; cell and gene therapy tools, chemistry and materials for lifescience; supply chain innovation, data management, simulation and analytics for manufacturing, said the statement.

It also added that the nominated companies will receive up to €100,000 in financial assistance, mentoring and coaching from Merck’s experts in research, business development, strategy and finance. To develop proofs-of-concept, the companies can deepen their understanding of business scenarios while catering to their needs and test their solutions on the international stage with Merck’s global presence in 66 countries. This opportunity could lead to a partnership with Merck or instrumental business cases.

The programme will start in mid-November 2022. The application period will run through 4th September, 2022 via the website. The company is looking for up to five startups to participate in their programme.

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Biotech firm MicroGO gets pre-series A funding of Rs 6 crore from angel investors in Kolkata https://www.expresspharma.in/biotech-firm-microgo-gets-pre-series-a-funding-of-rs-6-crore-from-angel-investors-in-kolkata/ https://www.expresspharma.in/biotech-firm-microgo-gets-pre-series-a-funding-of-rs-6-crore-from-angel-investors-in-kolkata/#respond Thu, 16 Jun 2022 10:21:56 +0000 https://www.expresspharma.in/?p=438737

Funds to help digitalise hygiene industry and commercialise products

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Biotech firm MicroGO, providing smart and sustainable hygiene and infection control solutions, has raised Rs 6 crore in Pre-Series A funding from angel investors in Kolkata. The funds will be used primarily for strengthening MicroGO’s sales and marketing activities.

Aiming to solve the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) challenges through R&D-based manufacturing, MicroGO began product commercialisation in 2022.  A company statement informs, “MicroGO aims to provide its customers with a 360°hygiene and infection control solutions by innovative technologies that deliver the correct science and provides profitability and environmental sustainability.  MicroGO holds patented platforms that have been granted patents in as low as 90 days- one of the fastest patent granted in India.”

Commenting on this funding, Dr Rachna Dave, Founder and CEO of MicroGO, said, “What we are building in this space is very significant, since hygiene and infection control practices are looked upon as an expenditure and thus, not given its due attention. Additionally, non-scientific practices are adding both AMR (anti-microbial resistance) as well environmental burden on the nation. All of which shall impact the basic needs of humankind i.e., food, water and health. This infusion of capital will enable us to strengthen our presence in India by expanding the reach network and creating on ground hygiene consultants.”

MicroGO recently launched GOassure MAX, an IoT enabled solution that automates hand hygiene, ensures compliance monitoring and saves water and other operational costs.

Speaking on the occasion, the investor leading the round said, “MicroGO has developed disruptive smart solutions and has implemented digital hygiene practises. We have been following MicroGO`s work right from the COVID-19 onset wherein, they contributed immensely to the nation even when their team was very small. We are delighted to support a visionary entrepreneur like Rachna, her venture, her team and their vision to break the perception of hygiene practices being an expenditure and turn it into an investment.”

MicroGO has clients from various verticals like food & beverage, healthcare, pharma, commercial and residence complexes and hospitality including Airport Authority Of India, Indian Army, IHCL (TAJ and Vivanta), IRCTC, WayCool, BigBasket, Chettinaad hospitals and Apollo Hospitals.

 

 

 

 

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Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh launches BioRRAP for researchers and start-ups https://www.expresspharma.in/union-minister-dr-jitendra-singh-launches-biorrap-for-researchers-and-start-ups/ https://www.expresspharma.in/union-minister-dr-jitendra-singh-launches-biorrap-for-researchers-and-start-ups/#respond Tue, 24 May 2022 07:56:28 +0000 https://www.expresspharma.in/?p=438226

Speaking during the launch of Biological Research Regulatory Approval Portal (BioRRAP), Dr Singh said, India is poised to become a global bio-manufacturing hub and will figure among the top five countries of the world by 2025

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Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (MoS) (IC), Ministry of Science and Technology; MoS (IC) Ministry of Earth Science; MoS, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has launched single national portal for biotech researchers and start-ups. The Portal “BioRRAP” will cater to all those seeking regulatory approval for biological research and development activity in the country, and thus aims for “Ease of Science as well as Ease of Business.”

Speaking during the launch of Biological Research Regulatory Approval Portal (BioRRAP), Dr Singh said, India is poised to become a global bio-manufacturing hub and will figure among the top five countries of the world by 2025.

Dr Singh said that the portal will also allow stakeholders to see the approvals accorded against a particular application through a unique BioRRAP ID. He described this unique portal of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) as a step towards ‘Ease of Doing Science and Scientific research’ and ‘Ease of Start-ups’ in India. Biotechnology has fast emerged as an academic and livelihood avenue for youngsters in India. There are over 2,700 biotech start-ups and more than 2,500 biotech companies working at present in the country.

“This portal will strengthen inter-departmental synergies and bring accountability, transparency and efficacy in functioning of agencies regulating various aspects of biological research and issuing permission,” he added.

The minister further added that at present, there is no mechanism to track the requisite regulatory approval for a research proposal on a single portal and therefore, to provide more credibility and recognition to such biological researches, government of India has developed a web system under which each research, requiring regulatory oversight, will be identified by a unique ID called “BioRRAP ID.” He said that the portal will serve as a gateway and will help researcher to see stage of approval of their applications for regulatory clearances and to see preliminary information on all the research work being undertaken by the particular researcher and/or organisation.

The minister underlined that during pandemic, it was observed that there is need to link the applications submitted to various regulatory agencies for approval so as status of application may be seen at one place. Further, it was also felt that as a country, we should have repository of the research works being undertaken by our researchers working in public and private sector. This will not only help us in understanding our scientific strength and expertise, but also in formulation of enabling policies to garner the fruits of scientific research.

In his address, Dr Rajesh S Gokhale, Secretary, DBT, said, “BioRRAP has been developed that generates BioRRAP ID for all the research applications submitted on this portal and using this BioRRAP Id, further submission process to respective regulatory agencies has to be initiated based on the research application. He said, this portal is dedicated only for research-related activities, and not for product development.”

 

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Honeywell and IISc extend partnership to support 13 new startups and promote R&D https://www.expresspharma.in/honeywell-and-iisc-extend-partnership-to-support-13-new-startups-and-promote-rd/ https://www.expresspharma.in/honeywell-and-iisc-extend-partnership-to-support-13-new-startups-and-promote-rd/#respond Wed, 02 Mar 2022 04:31:27 +0000 https://www.expresspharma.in/?p=436021

HHSIF will provide these startups with seed capital, while SID will offer infrastructure support, access to the right technology, mentoring, and human capital

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Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF) and the Society for Innovation and Development (SID) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have extended their partnership to support 13 new startups to promote research and development (R&D) in deep science and fuel local innovation.

HHSIF will provide these startups with seed capital, while SID will offer infrastructure support, access to the right technology, mentoring, and human capital.

Startups focussed on R&D in deep science solutions were eligible for funding and support under this partnership, HHSIF said in a statement recently.

Preference was given to startups with founders from marginalised communities or to those working on solutions that have a direct impact on disadvantaged communities, it was stated.

Accordingly, startups that have been selected under this round of funding include those working on COVID-19 solutions, developing medical technologies to assist the elderly and differently abled, building eco-friendly specialty fluorescent dyes, creating rapid point of care diagnostics tools for use in limited resource settings, and working on solving issues related to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

Our partnership with SID is an endeavour towards driving local innovation, fostering a dynamic startup ecosystem and enabling job creation, said Ashish Gaikwad, Managing Director, Honeywell Automation India, and Director, HHSIF.

We believe that this association with Honeywell will act as a catalyst for technological innovation and lead the way for more corporates to form incubation associations through the CSR route, said Professor B Gurumoorthy, Chief Executive, SID, IISc.

Honeywell and SID, IISc, entered into a partnership last year to support six startups working on deep science solutions, primarily in the healthcare sector, the statement noted.

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Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre collaborates with Cytiva to provide bioprocessing training programmes https://www.expresspharma.in/bangalore-bioinnovation-centre-collaborates-with-cytiva-to-provide-bioprocessing-training-programmes/ https://www.expresspharma.in/bangalore-bioinnovation-centre-collaborates-with-cytiva-to-provide-bioprocessing-training-programmes/#respond Thu, 17 Feb 2022 05:48:46 +0000 https://www.expresspharma.in/?p=435685

The programmes will support the start-up ecosystem, academia, new ventures and biopharmaceutical projects

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Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre (BBC) and Cytiva have collaborated to work together to support the start-up ecosystem and academia in the field of biopharmaceuticals by providing a platform for skill development and industry-oriented training in the field of bioprocessing (upstream, downstream and analytical characterisation), the companies said in a joint statement.

As per Invest India’s survey, Indian biotechnology industry, estimated to reach $150 billion by 2025, expects to see the number of startups grow from above 4,000 to 10,000 by 2025. BBC is a world-class incubation centre with central instrumentation facility in a 10-acre campus with a total build-up area of 60,000 square feet, and is engaged in providing infrastructure support, skill development and assistance to start-up companies, ventures and projects in biopharmaceutical field to help conversion of innovative ideas and research into commercialisation. This collaboration aligns well in giving impetus to the innovation ecosystem by driving industry-academia linkages, and eventually, enhanced research, added the statement.

Talent is critical for all industries, but it is particularly critical for the biopharma industry given the complexity of the sector. According to the Cytiva Biopharma Resilience Index, the talent pool is the weakest link in the global biopharma industry. Sixty five per cent of the Indian respondents in the Biopharma Resilience Index say that sourcing talent in technology, manufacturing and R&D is a substantial challenge. Thus, the demand for collaboration is expected to be high, the statement concluded.

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Tessol’s greatest contribution has been in making the last-mile cold chain viable and reliable https://www.expresspharma.in/tessols-greatest-contribution-has-been-in-making-the-last-mile-cold-chain-viable-and-reliable/ https://www.expresspharma.in/tessols-greatest-contribution-has-been-in-making-the-last-mile-cold-chain-viable-and-reliable/#respond Sat, 24 Jul 2021 09:21:04 +0000 https://www.expresspharma.in/?p=430978

Tessol solutions allow pharma companies/logistics providers to offer end-to-end transportation of vaccine packages from source to end customers without breaking the cold chain up in a highly temperature-controlled environment, informs Rajat Gupta, founder and CEO, Tessol, to Akanki Sharma

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Give us details about the solution that you have launched recently for vaccine delivery across India to aid the COVID-19 vaccination drive.

Tessol took up the challenge to build products for the safe transportation of vaccines at the beginning of the pandemic. We have all the required expertise and technology in-house to build these solutions that we believed will be critical for the large-scale rollout of the vaccine.

We tied up with Koolex logistics, the largest pharma trucking company in India and built solutions for long-distance and last-mile movement of pharma products.

Our products cover all temperatures from -20 degrees Celsius (required for Moderna and Sputnik V vaccines) to two-to-eight degrees Celsius required for other vaccines like Covaxin and Covishield. We have already validated our solutions with several pharma companies and logistics players. In order to facilitate the industry, we have also opened our doors to sell the Phase Change Material (PCM) – our core technology – product to companies engaged in making cold-chain solutions, especially for the pharma industry.

What made you take this step and for how long have you been doing this?

We have launched the vaccine delivery solution keeping in mind the massive ongoing drive in India to inoculate each and every Indian. The entire world is facing a challenging situation. due to the ongoing pandemic.

Therefore, vaccinating the maximum number of people in the country is the only way to halt the ongoing growth in infection. Tessol is contributing its bit by launching vaccine delivery solutions for pharma companies, logistics companies and organisations. With the help of our technology, we are supporting this huge cause of vaccinating many Indians.

As of now, how many areas/small towns/cities/states have you catered to? Kindly name these and also tell us about the contribution that you have made there.

Tessol is present in all major cities in India like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, Pune, Nagpur, Hyderabad and many others.

With over 500 vehicles and 300 home-delivery units in operation, our solutions cater to clients on a pan-India basis. Our greatest contribution has been in making the last-mile cold chain viable and reliable for our customers. Given the nature of the last-mile retail and home delivery market, the cold chain is invariably not viable for most customers forcing them to either break the cold chain or rely on unsafe options such as dry ice.

Customers who do not wish to do either, choose not to cater to the segment. We have effectively addressed this problem by enabling our customers to not only expand their reach, but by also ensuring that product quality and safety are not compromised till the last delivery point.

What are the major challenges faced by the Indian supply chain when it comes to delivering pharmaceutical products to the last mile and what immediate steps must be taken to overcome these?

In my view, the biggest challenge in the supply chain in India is the viability, given low price points. In many cases, it is cheaper to waste the product than to save it. Harsh but true.

We see this not only in commodities like food and vegetables, liquid pouch milk, etc., but also in frozen food, etc. at the last mile. Even if the product has a high price point, given the scenario of fragmented retail fabric in India, the throughput to one location or shop is small, and even the smallest refrigerated vehicle is too big for carrying that load.

Therefore, there is a tremendous price pressure on the cold-chain operators while the basic cost is fixed with the minimum CAPEX and OPEX (especially with increased diesel prices). In most cases, they end up subsidising the local movement through storage or use unorganised players who have limited cold chain experience.

Briefly explain the solutions built by Tessol for long-distance and last-mile movement of pharma products.

Tessol solutions allow pharma companies/logistics providers to offer end-to-end transportation of vaccine packages from source to end customers without breaking the cold chain up in a highly temperature-controlled environment.

The company’s proven thermal battery and technology provides the desired temperature control (from -25 degrees Celsius to +25 degrees Celsius) across enclosures ranging from a five-litre bag to 20-feet (10 ton) truck. Its core technology uses proprietary PCM heat exchangers and chargers that store thermal energy (therefore, the term thermal battery) and releases it as required during the transport period.

How do you intend to expand your business in the next five years?

We realise that we are on the cusp of tremendous growth. We have the full technology stack required for building this business, along with some large wins on the customer end. Our core value and application spread built during the last eight years is beyond what most of the matured companies will be able to build, especially given our limited resources. The value proposition and product market fits have been established and even the products have matured.

We have active partners in Dubai, African Continent, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. We also have 25 active Tamsys units running in New Zealand and have powered the country’s first zero-emission refrigerated van. We also partnered with Tata to supply the first PCM-based ice cream truck in Mozambique. Further, our bike delivery solutions have been used in Dubai by our partners.

While we are already investing in growing our capacities, at this point in time, we are also actively looking at investments and strategic partnerships that can help scale our technology and solutions to a global level. It is no longer a small play that we are sitting on – our solution is critical for the growth of pharma and food retail not only in India, but globally. The incoming demand from overseas is an evidence of that.

akanki.sharma@expressindia.com
journoakanki@gmail.com

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FDAlytics is an intelligent assistant platform to help in GXP https://www.expresspharma.in/fdalytics-is-an-intelligent-assistant-platform-to-help-in-gxp-2/ https://www.expresspharma.in/fdalytics-is-an-intelligent-assistant-platform-to-help-in-gxp-2/#respond Thu, 13 Feb 2020 04:58:51 +0000 https://www.expresspharma.in/?p=417892

As major pharma companies in India continue to grapple with GMP compliance issues, a startup combining deep learning, AI tech, and NLP models based on artificial neural networks is helping […]

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As major pharma companies in India continue to grapple with GMP compliance issues, a startup combining deep learning, AI tech, and NLP models based on artificial neural networks is helping subscribers be better prepared for inspections, learn from the US FDA trends and improve their GMP processes continuously based on those learnings. With the official launch planned for February 20, Bhavish Agarwal, Founder, FDAlytics.com tells Viveka Roychowdhury how his company’s algorithms can augment the analysis of pharma regulatory affairs personnel by providing them up-to-date and readily available data points

Bhavish, thanks for talking to Express Pharma. Tell us something about your previous life before you turned entrepreneur.
Thank you. It is my pleasure to speak to you. I have been working in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the last 10 years in companies such as Microsoft, Zlemma and Hired.com. I met my co-founder Chakri Uddaraju at Hired. He was working at Facebook building the Marketplace before we decided to start Fdalytics.com.

How did you find yourself starting an ML/AI startup for pharma companies in India after a career in Microsoft, etc?
It has been an interesting journey for us. We wanted to use our experience of working at big tech companies in cutting edge technologies in the field of healthcare and pharmaceuticals. During our interactions with multiple pharma players, we realised that GMP compliance remains one of the biggest and continuous challenges.
We identified the US FDA GMP regulation and compliance as the problem and started thinking about the various ways we can use our experience in deep learning and AI tech to solve this problem. We found two opportunities: First in terms of India’s growing position in the API and finished dosage exports to the US. By being in India, we are getting easy access to an industry which is looking out for innovative solutions to minimise or eliminate their compliance-related risks. Secondly, once we started capturing the US FDA data, we immediately understood how ML/AL can become a big differentiator and create value for our customers. In summary, strict monitoring of GMP laid down by the US FDA and vast amount of data where ML/AL can be used made it a no brainer for us to start an ML/AI company for pharma companies in India.

What is the basic rationale for FDAlytics.com? What are the features of FDAlytics.com like inspector analysis, etc?
The aim of Fdalytics is to provide data and insight for GMP compliance to global pharma and medical devices companies. We want our customers to be better prepared for inspections, learn from the US FDA trends and improve their GMP processes continuously based on those learnings. At a high level, Fdalytics features can be described in three categories: Data, Search and Intelligence. As of today, the FDA inspection related data is either not available, scarcely available or if available, it exists in disjointed and siloed formats. It is virtually impossible to gather or combine these data points and gain insights from it.

If a pharma company wants to ask insightful questions like – what is the most frequently cited CFR violation last year? What area is a specific inspector more likely to focus on based on his or her behaviour? What are the global inspection trends based on all inspections? This is almost impossible to find out yet this is very useful for a company to go through the inspection. Let me give first give you an overview of the data that we have before I tell you how we use ML/ AI to leverage these data points.

In Fdalytics we have gathered data points for all the inspections conducted by the US FDA since the year 2000. For each of these inspections, we have collected whether a Form 483 was issued, whether the inspection resulted in a VAI, OAI or NAI, how long that inspection lasted and who were the inspectors who conducted these inspections. We also have tens of thousands of 483s, EIRs, responses and Warning Letters.

Alternatively, the platform can also tell you the track record of each of these US FDA inspectors. For example: what inspections they conducted, how many 483s they have issued etc. Since we have these track records our users can also gain insight on each of these inspectors. Additionally, our users can use the advanced search features for each inspector to drill down to a single observation made by the inspector during an inspection.

But this is just the surface. We are using Natural Language Processing (NLP) models based on artificial neural network. These models operate upon tens of thousands of Form 483, EIR, warning letters etc to pinpoint the specific areas that are the most relevant to an individual customer. We are creating features where based on a company’s profile and track record, Fdalytics algorithm can make personalised recommendations.

Pharma companies in India need to analyse the technical details of US FDA inspection reports, be they 483s or EIRs, on a daily basis. How does the ML/AI tool score better than regulatory affairs personnel in pharma companies who have had years of experience within the sector?
Yes, you are right. Regulatory affairs personnel need to go through a lot of 483s in order to learn from US FDA observations. However, there are many challenges to it – availability of data being the number one. With FDalytics, we solve this basic but foundational problem by providing the data in a click of a button. You no longer have to ask or call your friends or colleagues to get second hand or incomplete information or pay an enormous amount of money. As you said, most of these personnel have years of experience within the sector. With Fdalytics, we aim to augment their analysis by providing them up-to-date and readily available data points. Since Fdalytics is a technology platform, we can scale it up which is very difficult to achieve without technology. We are very confident that Fdalytics will become an example where AI technology and professional experience come together to create a far more efficient environment for GMP compliance. In short, FDAlytics is an intelligent assistant platform for pharma companies and regulatory / compliance leaders to help them in GXP.

Give us an example to illustrate. Suppose a company needs to look for all data integrity related 483s dealing with injectables.
This is an interesting example. Before Fdalytics, this problem would have taken a lot of manual efforts and resources, assuming someone has enough 483s. Then too, the chances of missing an important observation would have been high. In the Fdalytics platform, our user simply has to search for the keyword ‘Data Integrity’ and chose the category ‘Injectables’ and our algorithm would go through almost 30-40 thousand individual observations and find the relevant observations.

You can even refine your search so that you can find specific issues by a particular inspector. For example, you can find all ‘computer system validation’ issues cited by say ‘Thomas Arista’ etc. Not only that, the search result can be filtered where you can filter those observations that resulted in a warning letter. All of this happens on Fdalytics in few milliseconds.

Our customers love the simplicity and the ease of use of the platform. But in the background, our AI algorithms are hard at work. For example, if some searches for ‘Data Integrity’ the algorithm also understands that phrases such as ‘electronic data’ or ‘reviewed for accuracy’ are closely related to data integrity.

One more example of a solution that we are providing is searching for observations by CFR citations. Before Fdalytics, it was virtually impossible to search for issues related to say, 21 CFR part 11. Our powerful and accurate algorithms are capable of mapping all the individual observations with their corresponding CFR code. This is a powerful feature, and few of our customers are already using to update their training programmes and SOPs based on these CFR examples.

What is your team size right now and how are you funding this venture?
We are a team of 10 passionate and energetic people, majority of whom are engineers and ML researchers. We have also onboarded pharma industry experts with vast experience and unparalleled domain expertise. We are completely bootstrapped and have already started generated revenues.

With the official launch planned on February 20, what has been the response during the past few months in the beta launch stage?
We launched a few months back in the stealth mode and worked with select customers. The response has been phenomenal and provided testimony to the fact that there is a real demand for technology tools to help companies navigate the complex world of GMP compliance and regulation. The feedback was very encouraging and gave us the confidence to launch Fdalytics officially. We also realised that the pharma manufacturers are very tech-savvy and are fast adopters of the latest technologies.

How many companies have signed up? Are they all pharma companies or some are consulting companies as well?
We have close to a dozen companies both in India and overseas who are already are using the Fdalytics platform. We also have few pharma consultants who are using the tools to keep abreast of the developments in US FDA conducted inspections. We are actively receiving demands and interests from new customers.

Give us an idea of the subscription schemes on offer.
First of all, anyone can sign up to Fdalytics.com and start using certain search features for free. Fdalytics comes with a lot of flexible and affordable pricing option. We understand that each pharma company is different and will have different requirements. Depending on the requirements, one can purchase Form 483 or an inspector’s report. We also offer unlimited access to Fdalytics platform as a yearly subscription by paying a one-time yearly fee.
Our subscription customers get unlimited Form 483s, EIR etc download, access to all the inspector profiles and access to all the advanced features search as advanced search and recommendation. We also build custom machine learning models for our subscription customers that give specific insights for their companies.

Who are your competitors in this space and what is your USP?
Fdalytics is the only pharma GMP compliance platform that uses AI/ML and operates on US FDA data. This is the first time that advanced NLP and neural networks are being applied in this space.
There are few websites which sell Form 483s etc but the customers have to pay exorbitant amounts to get just one such document. Our customers not only get these documents at a much cheaper rate but are able to leverage the power of big data and AI technology to get actionable insights. In essence, our USP is our data and technology.

viveka.r@expressindia.com

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We are proactively focusing on consumer awareness about the importance of right nutrition https://www.expresspharma.in/we-are-proactively-focusing-on-consumer-awareness-about-the-importance-of-right-nutrition/ https://www.expresspharma.in/we-are-proactively-focusing-on-consumer-awareness-about-the-importance-of-right-nutrition/#respond Thu, 13 Feb 2020 04:53:43 +0000 https://www.expresspharma.in/?p=417889

Power Gummies, with its portfolio of vitamins and nutritional supplements in gummy format, has introduced a new fun way for consumers to keep up with their nutritional requirements, tells Divij […]

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Power Gummies, with its portfolio of vitamins and nutritional supplements in gummy format, has introduced a new fun way for consumers to keep up with their nutritional requirements, tells Divij Bajaj, Founder, Power Gummies to Tarannum Rana

You have recently received a Pre-Series A funding by DSG Consumer Partners. How do you plan to utilise these funds?
With recent funding from DSG, we would be proactively focusing on consumer awareness triggering the importance of right nutrition. We plan to tie up with major influencers to communicate that message across because we’ve seen a robust response through influencer marketing, a new age media technique that we have deployed and the same has driven results for us. Our focus would also be around team building, improvising packaging, supply chain management and doing scientific research for future variants in the health and nutrition supplement market. The brand also plans to expand further in the OTC category, making Power Gummies a household name in the near future as far as the segment of adult nutrition is concerned.

Apart from providing funds, will DSG Consumer Partners be involved with Power Gummies’s development in any other way?
Yes, DSG has been more than just an institutional fund for us. They closely monitor and work along to improve management systems ranging from financing, accounting to legal support. They have been helping us through their network to get through the right industry experts. With them coming on board, a lot of opportunities have opened for Power Gummies in terms of market places, industry insights and distribution network. We have been able to better manage our team and think of growth prospects, research, development as well as improve existing team structure and product line.

Tell us about your growth story so far.
The response has been phenomenal in the domestic and international market. Assessing the scepticism that consumers have of long term allopathic medication, we decided to work our way around the anxiety of consuming pills/syrups with alternative sources of nutrition. The company’s main focus from the behest was to bring nutrient supplements in a well researched and scientifically backed product which lead to the production of Power Gummies.

Before we launched the final product, a lot of research on possible barriers and challenges was done by us – we wanted to make sure that Power Gummies as a niche product is visually appealing, good to taste and something consumers do not need to be reminded of as compared to consuming pills or medicines in any form that might not be good to taste. A number of times, we have seen scenarios where people stop taking the prescribed medication due to lack of motivation, due to psychological fear of side-effects Our USP, we’d say, is overcoming these challenges where people are self-motivated to consume our products regularly. Also, since it’s an over the counter product, consumers do not need prescriptions to purchase the same, making it accessible for all. We are currently selling products worth above 8 million INR every month. We have a loyal brand following which can be seen through our social media pages where people of all demographics – male, females, millennials, the 30-40 age group from Tier 1, 2, 3 cities – have been actively engaging with Power Gummies.

After Biotin Power Gummies, what all other products are in the pipeline?
Talking about the big picture, we plan to launch one more variant soon – the Fat Loss Gummy variant which would bring in a tasty way to reduce fat. Currently, it is under the final stage of clinical trials as we want to make sure that we bring to the market a product that is scientifically backed and contains best-in-class ingredients to deliver the required results. We are creating a new standard for the adult nutrition market for any new players/ products/ competition to follow suit when it comes to the science and precision required before any go-to market strategy.

Your brand’s marketing seems to be focussed specifically on women. Do you have any products coming up specifically for men as well?
Our product is gender-neutral, thus being fit for consumption for both men and women. Women comparatively face more hair loss and brittle nail issues as compared to men since estrogen production in the body goes down in middle age women. Not to mention that in today’s age of millennial diets, stress and pollution it becomes more challenging for women to maintain and replenish their nutrition requirements. Even for men, body image issues, mental stress and peer pressure make them conscious about thinning hairline, hair loss and we have seen a surge in men ordering our products.

You claim that your products are plant-based, and do not contain gelatin or other animal-derived elements. What is the composition of Power Gummies?
Power Gummies have a base of Pectin which is 100 per cent vegetarian and are an amalgamation of Biotin, Zinc, Folic acid and 10 essential vitamins – a panacea for many hair and nail problems. Power Gummies supplements are 100 per cent vegetarian and completely gelatin-free, gluten and cruelty-free.

Recently, a similar US product, SugarBearHair supplements have come under the scanner for containing a biotin dose much higher (over 160 per cent) than what is recommended. What are the permissible levels of Biotin recommended in India? What is the dosage composition of your product?
Power gummies are FSSAI approved and FDA compliant, the percentage composition mentioned on our products is in sync to the guidelines provided by the government of India and does not exceed the recommended dosage in any way. We follow all guidelines and rules set by ICMR, and all our batches go through a series of clinical trials before getting to the market. We comply with all the rules and regulations governing the adult nutrition market and understand the sensitivity, trust and responsibility bestowed upon by the healthcare sector by government bodies and consumers alike.

How is India’s nutraceutical supplements sector growing? What kind of potential do you see in it?
According to a 2018 Assocham Knowledge report, the Indian nutraceuticals market is expected to grow from $4 billion to $18 billion by 2025. We see high demand as people are getting aware of the importance that vitamins and proper nutrition have in their lives. As people now prefer quality products and don’t mind paying for it, health supplement and nutraceutical space is expected to grow about 6 times overall in the next five years or so.

tarannum.rana@expressindia.com

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