Reinventing a Legacy: Building a New Fermentation Product Portfolio for a Large Indian Biotech Manufacturer

Sandeep Kachhwaha
Apr 8
2 min read

1. Challenge

Origo was engaged as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) by one of the world’s Big Four consulting firms, to support a strategic diversification project for a leading Indian biotech manufacturing company.

This client had been producing just three fermentation-based products for over 30 years, at an impressive 200 KL batch size. However, these once-lucrative molecules had lost market relevance, with newer and more effective alternatives capturing global demand. As prices fell, the company struggled to maintain profitability, relying on campaign manufacturing and scheduled shutdowns to control costs.

The company needed a fresh portfolio of products aligned with:

Fermentation-based production
Large-scale manufacturing feasibility
Market relevance and commercial viability

2. Project Objectives

Identify new fermentation-based molecules with market potential
Screen for technical feasibility, COGS, and fit with existing infrastructure
Assess compatibility with facility constraints (capacity, downstream equipment, category limitations)
Create a scoring model to evaluate and rank candidates
Present a short-list of high-potential products with full business and technical justifications

3. Our Approach

A. Product Landscape Analysis

Researched over 1,500 fermentation-based molecules using global import-export data, industry publications, and market reports
Identified therapeutic relevance, demand volumes, pricing benchmarks, and IP landscape

B. Scoring & Feasibility Modelling

Developed a weighted scoring model to filter products based on commercial, regulatory, and technical factors
Narrowed the list from 1,500 to 250, and finally to a top 12 product short-list

C. Presentation to Leadership

Presented shortlisted candidates to senior leadership with detailed justifications, including:
- Estimated COGS
- Manufacturing compatibility
- Regulatory pathway overview
- Market opportunity

4. Final Results

12 shortlisted molecules presented
5 high-potential products selected by senior management for further development
Origo proposed process development strategies for all five products, aligned with existing infrastructure
Enabled the client to pursue high-relevance, high-volume, fermentation products while maximizing use of their 200 KL-scale facility

5. Key Learnings

Developed a data-driven screening methodology that can be replicated for future portfolio expansion
Gained valuable experience working at 200 KL+ fermentation scale, significantly larger than typical 25–30 KL operations
Reinforced the importance of aligning market intelligence with manufacturing capability

Strengthened Origo’s collaborative experience with top global consulting firms and large biotech stakeholders