German multinational Bayer’s Indian subsidiary Bayer Pharmaceuticals will hire nearly 350 employees in the coming months as part of its rapid workforce expansion plan for the country.

The company is also investing in local partnerships and strengthening clinical trial processes, to make a lasting impact on healthcare in India, Shweta Rai, managing director, India and Country Division Head South Asia, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, says. "These initiatives are instrumental in bringing breakthrough treatments to every patient across the country, thereby significantly improving healthcare delivery," she adds.

In an email response to Fortune India, Rai says collaborative partnerships redefine how pharmaceutical companies deliver therapies and Bayer has partnered with local companies to enhance access to innovative treatments.

“We collaborated with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and Sun Pharma to market and distribute second brands of vericiguat (heart failure drug) and finerenone (for chronic kidney disease), respectively. This collaboration leverages their extensive marketing capabilities to broaden patient access and improve health outcomes," Rai says.

Bayer also sells these first-in-class therapies for high-burden diseases, under its own brand name Kerendia (finerenone) and Verquvo (vericiguat). It has also introduced novel drugs like Nubeqa (darolutamide) for prostate cancer in Indian market. “We have launched these innovative therapies in India within 15 to 18 months of their global introductions”, Rai says. Bayer’s portfolio in India also includes Xarelto for cardiovascular conditions, Eylea for DME and Wet AMD, and Glucobay for diabetes.

As part of its global trials, Bayer has around 17 ongoing clinical Phase III and IV trials, involving nearly 4,000 participants in India. The trials are crucial to ensure that local demographics are accurately represented in the development of new therapies. 

“We are also collaborating with state government, healthcare bodies, and key opinion leaders to drive conversations around important health issues and the ways in which they can be combated. Our MOU with the Andhra Pradesh government to help drive awareness around unnecessary hysterectomies is one such initiative”, Rai says.

If fact, Bayer is a leading player in women’s health care. The company’s 'Preserve the Uterus' campaign raises awareness among women & educates healthcare practitioners about the vital reproductive organ and the diseases that impact it with a view to avoiding an untimely or avoidable hysterectomy. “At Bayer, as we plan to meet the contraceptive needs of 100 million women by 2030 in low to middle-income countries, our work in India will be crucial”, Rai says.

According to her, the partnerships do more than just increase the availability of medicines. “They also foster knowledge sharing. This model empowers local companies, enabling them to benefit from Bayer’s insights into quality and compliance and Bayer in turn can benefit from their local market knowledge," Rai adds.