Inaugural edition of Peptides & Complex Generics Symposium 2025 marks milestone in India’s pharma innovation journey

The Inaugural Edition of the Peptides & Complex Generics Symposium (PCG 2025), jointly organised by the Mumbai Biocluster and Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai, held on September 25–26, 2025 at The Lalit, Mumbai concluded with remarkable success.

Over two days, the event brought together 400+ stakeholders, including global pharma leaders, regulators, startups, CDMOs, and academics, to initiate dialogue for accelerating India’s growth in next-generation therapeutics and manufacturing innovation.

Day One Highlights

The opening plenary, Rapid Rise of GLP-1 Drugs, Weight Loss, Wellness & Beyond, featured leaders from Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly & Co (India) Pvt. Ltd., Biocon Ltd, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, and Levim Lifetech Pvt. Ltd., discussed manufacturing challenges, patient adoption, and commercial trends for GLP-1/GIP-1 agonists in India.

This was followed by Reimagining India’s Pharma Leadership: Driving Innovation, Access & Growth, where heads of eminent national associations such as IPEC India, OPPI, Pharmexcil, IDMA, and IPA emphasised the need for strong manufacturing capabilities alongside innovation. Drawing lessons from China’s rapid pharma scale-up and the impact of the recent tariff updates, the panel stressed that combining robust manufacturing, resilient supply chains, and regulatory excellence will enable India to evolve from a volume-based generics hub to a value-driven innovation leader.

Three key scientific sessions spanned the Day 1 of the event wherein the following topics were discussed:

• Navigating Regulatory Pathways and Challenges – global dossier alignment for long acting injectables and CMC strategies.
• Next-Gen Peptide Therapeutics: Manufacturing & Scale-Up – solid, liquid and hybrid synthesis strategies, purification challenges, and cost optimisation.
• Functional Bioassays for Complex Biotherapeutics – Design and Validation – MoA-driven assay design, in-vitro potency, and comparability validation.

The day’s standout feature was the GLP-1 Showcase, along with a leadership roundtable on Quality benchmarks and regulatory approvals in Peptides and Complex Generics.

Day Two Highlights

The day two opened with an innovative session on Industry 5.0: AI/ML & Computational Tools in Drug Discovery & Development sponsored by Aarth Software, covering PBPK modelling, IVIVC, and simulation-based approaches to reduce attrition, de-risk clinical programmes, and accelerate regulatory submissions.

Sessions on Evolving Approaches in Bioanalytical Characterisation and Innovations in Formulation Development & Novel Drug Delivery Systems explored orthogonal analytical platforms for impurity profiling and long-acting injectables, depot technologies, and liposomal encapsulation for targeted, controlled release, and patient-centric therapies.

A pivotal moment was the leadership Roundtable on Oligonucleotides, focusing on scalable purification, the need for industry-academia collaboration and regulatory convergence, emphasising India’s potential as a CDMO hub for oligonucleotides, a market projected to exceed $30B by 2030.

Exhibition & Recognition

The Molecule to Market Expo showcased cutting-edge technologies from key companies like Mettler Toledo India, Danaher Corporation, Agilent Technologies India, etc. and enabled networking among industry leaders. Poster sessions featured over 20 research projects in peptides, GLP-1 analogues, complex injectables, oligonucleotides, and simulation-driven drug modelling, with awards recognizing outstanding contributions.

PCG 2025 – Driving India’s Next Leap Pharma Innovation

PCG 2025 was more than just a symposium: it created a significant strategic convergence point for India’s pharma ecosystem, combining Science, Strategy, & Solutions. "This inaugural edition has proven India can deliver at scale while shaping the innovation agenda in peptides, oligonucleotides, and complex generics," said Dr Ratnesh Jain, Convenor. By uniting scientific insight, regulatory foresight, and cross-sector collaboration, PCG 2025 set a new benchmark for pharma conferences in India, establishing the country as a global hub for high-value, innovation-driven therapeutics.