Telangana’s KTR woos U.S. life sciences companies, ready to ‘beat any offer’

Ritu Jha-

Representatives of 18 biotechnology companies attended the roundtable meeting chaired by KT Rama Rao, Telangana information technology and industries minister, where they exchanged ideas on how to promote innovation and investments in the State of Telangana.

Rama Rao, popularly known in Telangana as KTR, was visiting Silicon Valley past month, and during the roundtable meeting with key Biotech, Pharma, and Lifesciences companies, invited them to his state, He discussed the emerging trends in the sector, strategic initiatives that can be rolled out by the Telangana government, and support that can be extended by the government, policy interventions, etc.

He shared his vision for promoting the life sciences and biotechnology ecosystem along with success stories and investment opportunities which surprised a few who were unaware of the state’s robust venture into Medical Device Park, Genomic Valley, MedTech Valley, and Hyderabad Pharma City. KTR said confidently, “We will meet or beat any offer you have.”

In his opening presentation, the minister said the 10 most valued global tech companies are already in Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana. He said Amazon’s largest campus is in Hyderabad, not Seattle, while Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Qualcomm, Uber, and Salesforce have their second-largest campuses in the southern Indian city.

“The reason I mentioned technology companies is that we are at the intersection of technology where data sciences meet life sciences. That kind of opportunity, that kind of intersection is where a lot of excitement we are going to see in the next decade or so,” said Rama Rao, who, Silicon Valley executives say, looks more like an entrepreneur than a politician.

Telangana has a vibrant ecosystem, he said. “Hyderabad is the life sciences capital of Asia and that is the most important sector today. We have 800 life sciences companies in Telangana, and the highest number of US FDA-approved companies in the world have a presence in Telangana, and this shows how strong the life science ecosystem is.”

He also pointed out that India’s indigenous Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin was developed by Bharat Biotech, which is based in Hyderabad.

For those seeking incubation, he said the state has 20 incubators focused exclusively on life sciences.

The Los Altos event was hosted by a group of serial biotech entrepreneurs. The industry leaders included Apollomics Inc, Aarvik Therapeutics, Chemveda Life Sciences, Abbvie, Protagonist Therapeutics, Samsara Capital, Stanford India Biodesign, Orbees Medical, Dice Therapeutics, Seal Rock Therapeutics, Vasa Therapeutics, Aria Pharmaceuticals, Atomwise, Genentech, Frazier Health Sciences, Alector, Gilead Sciences, AngioSafe Inc. and Tosk Inc., were among those who attended the roundtable.

The CXOs welcomed Telangana’s robust initiative. Some said they have already invested in the state while others said they are looking at the option. Some also called for better protection of intellectual property rights.

“We wanted to hear what he has to offer,” Sanjeev Redkar, global president and CEO, USA, of Apollomics Inc told indica. “We have been in this industry for years and understand difficult areas and what works and what doesn’t. And [the minister] was very receptive and I see they are looking at the practical side of this.”

Jagat Reddy Junutula, co-founder, Aarvik, told indica it was one of the first biotech-focused meetings. In the past, such meetings were more focused on IT, but on this trip, they wanted to make sure to spend time on life sciences. “In fact, they informed us they want to focus on life sciences, which covers pharma, biotech and medical technology.”

Junutula, whose company is oncology-focused, said, “Rama Rao also mentioned R&D, and we know India is traditionally known to be a supplier of generic drugs; the chemistry they do well, but the desire to do innovative drugs is emerging.

“What was good was to hear from CEOs of healthcare companies what they are thinking. There were no tax incentives announced, but he said he will match any country or state, that was a bold statement.”

Redkar’s company currently does not have a presence in India. Asked what was missing, he said, “The mindset of developing and new targets and scientific human capital, and I see people move a lot and are not able to recruit.

“So, massive government capital needs to go in this, so that we can set up incubators that create innovative companies and generate global IP. Again, there is a desire and we have to see how that fire can be started,” he said.

Redkar said the meeting helped to learn about KTR’s plans. He said the minister understands and wants to foster innovation. “Potentially we could set up innovative IP-driven companies,” he said.

Both Redkar and Junutula said the right curriculum, skill set and a global mindset are essential to get the industry going. Both also said they want to do something in India, but the devil is in the detail. “First you need to have a channel and whom to call, now [we know], I can call and set up a channel,” Junutula said.

“We have to start small but the infrastructure is there, that is a positive,” Redkar said.

Serial entrepreneur Sarvajna Dwivedi, the co-founder of AngioSafe, told indica he had learned a few things at the conference. For instance, he had thought MedTech Park was spread over 100 acres, but it turned out to be 300 acres. He also said he was not aware that Pharma Valley is being created over 19,000 acres.

He said was aware of Genomic Valley where he had set up a branch of Nektar Therapeutics, one of his previous companies. “So, Hyderabad remains committed to global businesses creating local jobs and connecting local talents with global ideas and concepts,” Dwivedi said.

About investing again in India, he said, “We are considering India as a serious opportunity to first bring our clinical solutions and then make the products there and come up with innovation.

“So, we do wish to have a presence in India, and given the commitment and MedTech Park, it makes perfect sense,” Dwivedi said.

“Regulations slow down processes in the country,” he continued, “but we will figure out ways to overcome these challenges. The bigger challenge is of intellectual property protection. IP gets copied with no repercussions.”