Social
Advancing social equity for patients, people, and communities is a core pillar of our responsibility. We are deeply committed to fostering inclusive opportunities and creating sustainable impact that benefits both health outcomes and social well-being, on a local and global scale.
Biocon Foundation’s unique public art project, Pillars of Bengaluru
Patients
We aim to build resilient healthcare solutions that enable patients all over the world, especially within underserved communities, to live better, every day.
One of the pillars of our mission is to increase access to life-saving biologics by making high-quality biosimilars available globally. Our commitment to access is closely intertwined with affordability. Biosimilars are typically priced lower than the reference products. This, in turn, results in lower out-of-pocket costs for patients, increasing affordability. In addition, we extend multiple programs to make drugs affordable and accessible to patients belonging to a wide range of economic backgrounds.
Widening access to biosimilars, particularly for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cancer and diabetes, could significantly reduce mortality rates, aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 of reducing premature deaths from NCDs by a third, by 2030. This is crucial, especially for low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), which bear a disproportionate burden of NCD-related deaths and face substantial economic costs due to poor health outcomes.
- Expanding Access to High-Quality Insulins
Insulin is a life-saver for patients with diabetes, yet millions are denied access because of its prohibitive cost. As a leading global manufacturer of insulins, Biocon Biologics is committed to enabling universal access to this essential therapy, aspiring to serve ‘one in five’ insulin-dependent people with diabetes worldwide, and is consistently working towards this goal.
Our expanded access to insulin therapy is based on an innovation strategy focused on affordability. Leveraging our global capacity, we are shifting the access paradigm for insulins worldwide. A robust portfolio of human insulin and insulin analogs serves millions of patients across the globe, including in the US and Europe. In countries like Mexico and Malaysia, Biocon Biologics insulin products meet most of the demand for this life-saving treatment.
Biocon Biologics has been actively tackling the challenge of insulin inequity and has focused on enabling access to this therapy since 2004, when we commercialized an indigenously developed human insulin in India at a fraction of the cost of imported insulins.
- Insulin Donations for Patients in LMICs
In FY24, we collaborated with Insulin for Life, a US-based non-profit organization that provides insulin and diabetes management supplies free of charge to diabetes patients by collecting supplies and delivering them to disadvantaged regions. We donated approximately 12,500 Insulin Glargine injection pens and 1,000 bGlargine vials.
Insulin for Life sends donated supplies to partner clinics and hospitals serving patients with all types of diabetes (Type 1, Type 2, gestational) worldwide, with a focus on LMICs.
- Bridging Gap in Diabetes Care in Ethiopia
- Facilitating Access to Cancer Treatment
Biocon Biologics has been at the forefront of a long-running crusade against cancer. Our high quality anti-cancer biosimilars are providing cost-effective alternatives to expensive reference biologics. Our portfolio of therapies covers a wide range of cancer sites across head and neck, breast, colo-rectum, ovary, cervix, kidney, brain and lungs, as well as supportive therapy.
- Biocon successfully developed and launched the world’s first biosimilar Trastuzumab for patients of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer in India in 2014. We have continued to expand access to our high quality biosimilars for patients across the world
- We are collaborating with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), under its Cancer Assistance Partnership (CAP) program, and the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Nigeria and Tanzania to enhance access to anti-cancer products in these countries, at an ‘access price’*
- We are also working with our partners and healthcare systems across the globe to reduce costs, improve access to biologics therapy and advance the quality of care.
*Government Mediated Access Price (GMAP) is a policy mechanism where the government negotiates with pharmaceutical companies to lower the prices of certain drugs to make them more accessible to the population.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Our aim to make affordable biologics accessible to people everywhere is inherently social, and we have a responsibility to partner governments and civic society, to achieve holistic and sustainable social change.
Biocon Foundation is the principal channel for our corporate philanthropy to build resilient solutions that serve the needs of the disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalized sections of society, in India.
To identify genuine community concerns and develop suitable projects, we run a thorough needs-assessment process based on the Foundation’s thematic areas: health, education, rural development, women’s empowerment, research, and environment. This assessment includes a combination of methods, including secondary data analysis, focused group discussions, key stakeholder interviews, as well as surveys across communities of interest. Through a well-designed grant application process, we onboard partners with the relevant expertise and on-ground teams to execute the project activities.
Through Biocon Foundation, we have invested in several projects aimed at advancing healthcare access, innovation and clinical excellence, and green-urban mobility.
- Oral Cancer Screening Program
Biocon Foundation has run a multi-state, flagship oral cancer screening program successfully for almost a decade, positively impacting more than 75,000 beneficiaries. The project is implemented in specific sites across Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Assam, Maharashtra, and Karnataka.
This program has leveraged technology, capacity building and collaborative efforts to address the burden of oral cancer. A mobile application has been developed and is used by frontline health workers, trained for Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders (OPMD) screening and surveillance.
The program engages with government and state-specific nongovernment organizations for effective implementation. The collaborative approach has led to the creation of an independent Oral Cancer Task Force (OCTF) to ideate, educate and engage stakeholders, thereby effectively downstaging oral cancer in India over the next decade.
As a way forward, the project aims to leverage advances in Artificial Intelligence to combine datasets, including clinical information, lesion imaging, cytology, pathology, genomics and proteomics, and result in a first-of-its-kind multidimensional data-centric platform.
- Post-Graduate Medical School and Hospital at IISc
Biocon Foundation has contributed to the construction of the Biocon-Syngene General Medicine Wing at the Postgraduate Medical School & Hospital, envisioned by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. The wing will be spread over six floors with 147 beds.
The medical school has also rolled out a unique MBBS/MPH Internship program to foster interdisciplinary research and develop physician-scientists in the country. As part of the program, 37 selected students were given an opportunity to work under the supervision of 35 participating faculties at IISc, Bengaluru, for a period of one to two months. The key thematic areas of research included Cancer Biology, Bioengineering, Artificial Intelligence and Data Sciences, Endocrinology, and Biomedical Devices.
- Biocon-Hebbagodi Metro Station
Biocon Foundation contributed Rs 650 million to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) towards the construction of a Metro station on Hosur Road. The Biocon-Hebbagodi Metro station is part of the elevated 18.82-km Yellow Line, linking RV Road with Bommasandra. Metro connectivity provides a sustainable and efficient mode of transport to residents and business commuters from all parts of Bengaluru, reducing traffic congestion on Hosur Road and helping lower the environmental impact from vehicular pollution.
Biocon Foundation has reimagined the space under the elevated Metro corridor through pier wall paintings that truly represent Karnataka’s rich heritage and traditions. Additionally, the concept of median gardens was introduced, blending urban aesthetics, art, and the environment.
Recognition of Community Development Efforts
- Conferred Mahatma Award 2022 under the Sustainable Cities & Communities category in recognition of various CSR initiatives to promote safe, affordable and sustainable transport systems, reduce the environmental impact of cities, and provide access to safe and inclusive public spaces, particularly for women and children.
- Awarded the prestigious 9th Dalmia Bharat – CSRBOX CSR Impact Award 2023 in the ‘Healthcare (Small)’ category for Oral Cancer Screening Program.
