India’s Biocon Biologics, a leading biotechnology company specializing in the production of biosimilars, is expanding its presence in the Moroccan market as part of a health-focused partnership aimed at reinforcing pharmaceutical security across Africa by marketing biological drugs to treat chronic and serious diseases.
Company officials revealed, during a visit by an international media delegation—including Assahifa—to Biocon’s headquarters in Bengaluru, India, that Biocon is one of the world’s foremost biotech companies. It operates in over 120 countries, with a particular focus on emerging markets, including those in Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey.
According to a presentation delivered by Biocon to the visiting delegation, the company maintains operations in several African countries, including Morocco, where it runs a local office in Casablanca. From there, it markets six biosimilar drugs targeting cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases, through a direct commercial model and a local partnership with Moroccan pharmaceutical company Sothema.
The same source indicated that the products marketed in the Moroccan market include:
- Hertraz (Trastuzumab) and Fulphila (Pegfilgrastim) for cancer
- Semglee (Insulin Glargine) and Insulet (rh-Insulin) for diabetes
- Hulio (Adalimumab) and Nepexto (Etanercept) for autoimmune conditions.
The company stated that these medications are produced in advanced facilities located in India and Malaysia, notably at Biocon’s integrated insulin manufacturing unit in Johor, Malaysia, which is considered one of the largest of its kind in Asia, along with its monoclonal antibody production plant in Bengaluru.
Assahifa visited Biocon’s headquarters in India and toured its laboratories and R&D units, where company executives explained their manufacturing model and the strict quality control procedures applied before exporting products to various markets, including Morocco.
Biocon officials noted that Morocco and several other African countries represent a strategic hub in the company’s plan to expand its footprint across Africa. They emphasized that Biocon is committed to offering high-quality, affordable biologics, enabling wider and fairer access to treatment—particularly for high-cost diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
This partnership comes amid growing cooperation between Morocco and India in the health sector, based on the exchange of expertise and the promotion of South–South cooperation, in line with the diplomatic strategies of both Rabat and New Delhi.
Biocon also aims to expand its investments in Morocco in the medium term, either through distribution or local manufacturing capabilities, stressing that such a move would further strengthen the health security system across the African region.
