The facility was inaugurated by Mr. Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Department of Industrial Promotion and Policy, Govt. of India along with Mr. Kaushik Mukherjee, Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka and Ms. V. Manjula, Secretary, IT,BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka. Mr Kant also launched Basalog One, a high-end, ready-to-use insulin glargine disposable pen for better blood sugar management for people with diabetes, manufactured in this facility.

The 100,000 square feet, new devices facility set up in Bangalore is an outcome of Biocon's commitment to 'Make in India for the World' which is well aligned with the Government's 'Make in India' vision to transform the country into a global manufacturing hub. Biocon has taken the lead to take this mission forward in the area of pharmaceutical and biomedical devices and invested significantly in the facility that will provide direct and indirect employment to several hundred people. The facility will enable Biocon to leverage the country's manufacturing expertise to develop world-class delivery devices for people with diabetes in India and other parts of the world.

Biocon's Basalog One, a long acting basal insulin glargine presented as an innovative, pre-filled pen, is the first product to roll out of this facility. Basalog One as a 'once a day' product is convenient to administer and almost painless, which will enable better patient compliance and help patients manage their blood sugar levels most effectively. The pen is light weight, easy to carry and disposable. The introduction of Basalog One further strengthens Biocon's existing Basalog portfolio comprising vials, refills and reusable devices thus enabling company to offer a comprehensive diabetes management solution for people with diabetes. Biocon's Basalog, launched in 2009, has benefited several lakhs of patients in India.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Govt of India, said, "I want to congratulate Biocon on the inauguration of this new facility and the launch of Basalog One This product, made in such a top class facility, will make a radical difference in the lives of many millions of diabetes patients globally. It's a huge step forward for such a product to be 'Made in India'. I am proud of the Biocon team for the focus they have exhibited in making this dream a success."

Ms Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson & Managing Director, Biocon, said: "Our aim is to provide insulin products to at least one in five insulin-dependent diabetes patients, anywhere in the world. This new devices facility is a key milestone in our journey towards that goal. It will enable us to not only fulfil our commitment to 'Make in India for the World' but also deliver on the promise of 'Affordable Access to Healthcare for All'. Through our product Basalog One^TM, we will be providing a high -end patient friendly basal insulin glargine pen in India first and global markets, subsequently."

Dr Arun Chandavarkar, CEO & Jt. Managing Director, Biocon, said: "India has the potential to become the next global manufacturing hub in biomedical devices and at Biocon, we are committed to explore this potential. As we expand our reach in global
markets to provide access to affordable diabetes therapy options, Basalog One^TM will form a significant part of our offering to people with diabetes in different parts of the world."

The global insulin delivery devices market, estimated at $9.4 billion in 2014, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7% to reach an estimated $14.1 billion in 2020. While Asia is tipped to be the fastest growing market for insulin delivery devices due to rapid economic and social change leading to higher incidence of diabetes in the region, the US presents the largest market opportunity for these devices followed by EU.

Biocon has collaborated with Becton Dickinson & Co. (BD), a leading global medical devices company based in the US, to specially customize the design of this device to enable it to deliver Biocon's range of insulin products.

Basalog One is built at Biocon's new devices facility using a 3 ml cartridge of 100IU insulin glargine manufactured by Biocon. The active drug substance and the drug product for the pen is being manufactured by Biocon in India. Biocon's Basalog One is a first-of-its-kind, disposable insulin glargine pen, designed internationally and built locally for the global markets.