Aragen Life Sciences Shifts Biologics Operations to India as Global Pharma Rebalances Supply Chains
Key Insights
Aragen Life Sciences (search), backed by Goldman Sachs (search) and Quadria Capital (search), is expanding India's role in its global biologics operations as demand rises for complex therapeutics including antibody-drug conjugates (search) and high-potency manufacturing.
The Hyderabad-based CRDMO, which works with 15 of the world's top 20 pharmaceutical companies, plans to shift a larger portion of its biologics and large-molecule work to India over the next five years as capabilities improve.
The company has committed its entire $100 million investment from Quadria Capital (search) to domestic capacity expansion, focusing on biologics manufacturing, HPAPI facilities, and advanced modalities.
Goldman Sachs (search) and Quadria Capital (search)-backed Aragen Life Sciences (search) is expanding India's role in its global operations as demand rises for complex biologics, antibody-drug conjugates (search) (ADCs) and high-potency manufacturing. The strategic shift comes as multinational drugmakers rework their supply chains and seek alternatives to geographic concentration risks.
The Hyderabad-headquartered contract research, development and manufacturing organisation (CRDMO), which works with 15 of the world's top 20 pharmaceutical companies, already runs a significant share of its small-molecule development and chemistry programmes from five facilities in India. Over the next five years, a larger portion of its biologics and large-molecule work is expected to shift onshore as capabilities and talent depth improve.
Strategic Expansion Driven by Market Demand
Chief Executive Officer Manni Kantipudi explained that global pharma companies are gradually widening the scope of work assigned to India as pipelines move towards monoclonal antibodies (search), ADCs and other advanced therapies. "India has been an innovation partner for big pharma for several years now, and this trend will only accelerate with continued investments by both big pharma and the CRDMO industry in newer modalities," he said.
The company currently carries out a large share of its global small-molecule development and chemistry work from India, while operating a California facility focused on early-stage biologics, including cell-line development and in-vitro pharmacology. That balance is beginning to change as India develops deeper expertise in biological therapeutics.
"Over the next five years, as biologics talent and high-potency capability deepen, we expect a greater proportion of global large-molecule work as well as complex biotherapeutics to be executed from our India sites," Kantipudi said. "We have invested in biologics manufacturing, HPAPI and advanced modalities to support that shift."
Geopolitical Factors Reshape Outsourcing
The move aligns with changing client priorities as many global drugmakers reassess geographic concentration risks and look for additional execution bases that combine regulatory compliance with scale. When asked about geopolitical considerations shaping outsourcing decisions, Kantipudi confirmed their material impact.
"Many of our clients, including 15 of the top 20 global pharma companies, are actively rebalancing their China exposure by increasing outsourcing to India," he said. "What began as pilot projects is now scaling into long-term, multi-programme partnerships."
$100 Million Investment Committed to India
A key enabler of Aragen's India expansion is the $100 million investment secured from Quadria Capital (search), which the company has committed entirely to domestic capacity. "All of this investment is committed to India," Kantipudi said. "The capital supported the creation of our biologics manufacturing capability, expansion of our HPAPI [OEB-6] suite and strengthening of small-molecule discovery capacity."
The investments are focused on oncology (search), ADCs and advanced biologics areas where global pharma pipelines are growing, and execution standards are demanding. The company structures its services around two internal operating tracks: "Concept to Clinic" and "Concept to Commercial," supporting programmes from discovery through commercial manufacturing.
Quality Over Cost Competition
Kantipudi emphasized that pricing alone no longer determines outsourcing decisions for innovation-led programmes. "Cost is no longer the defining differentiator, especially for the novel drug developers we work with," he said. "For these pharma and biotech customers, it is about how we help them advance targets faster and move new drugs to the clinic or the market."
To remain competitive, the company is investing in newer technologies and skills. "We are investing heavily in AI, machine learning and digital platforms, and continuously training our teams in emerging areas such as peptides (search), PROTACs (search), complex biologics and other modalities," he said.
Market Growth Projections
Industry estimates underline the scale of the opportunity. According to a BCG-IPSO study, India's CRDMO market, currently valued at about $3-3.5 billion, is projected to grow to $22-25 billion by 2035, with biologics and advanced modalities expanding at a faster pace than traditional chemistry services.
Kantipudi believes India can match established global hubs if quality discipline is maintained. "The single biggest risk is complacency around quality and compliance," he said. "India's progress depends on meeting global standards consistently at scale."
The company is also seeing more Indian scientists return from overseas. "With high-quality roles, meaningful research exposure and strong career paths available locally, more young scientists are choosing to build long-term careers in India," Kantipudi noted.
For Aragen, future plans include continued investment, selective acquisitions and potentially accessing public markets. "A public listing is under active evaluation at the Board level," Kantipudi said.