India is growing in importance as a hub for biopharmaceutical manufacturing, particularly in the context of the proposed Biosecure Act in the United States. The Act aims to restrict U.S. biotech companies from working with Chinese firms, potentially driving more business towards Indian contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs).
A number of Indian CDMOs are well equiped to take on addtioonal capacity. My colleagues and I at Amritt stand ready and able to help global biopharma companies and startups to evaluate, select and manage the best options. See my article in the Life Science Connect family of publications.
Eighteen years ago, Seattle-based Sound Pharmaceuticals hired the Chinese drug services firm WuXi AppTec to produce small quantities of an active ingredient for pre-clinical studies of their hearing loss drug candidate. This relationship has strengthened over time, with WuXi now handling all of Sound’s drug manufacturing from pre-clinical through clinical stages.
However, Jonathan Kil, Sound’s CEO and chief scientific officer became concerned in January when Congress introduced the Biosecure Act, which could prevent companies like his from working with WuXi and three Chinese genomics firms.
The Biosecure Act claims these companies have ties to the Chinese government, potentially allowing dangerous access to the genetic data of U.S. citizens. While China has several contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs), WuXi is arguably the most important to U.S. pharmaceutical companies. Its client base ranges from biotech startups to giants such as Eli Lilly.
For Sound’s Kil, viable alternatives to WuXi are limited. Of the five CDMOs he has worked with over 15 years, he is sure he would not return to three of them. The two acceptable options are WuXi and a European firm, but the European CDMO said they would need to outsource commercial-stage quantities to India.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
