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Into the HPAPI Space and Beyond with Aragen Life Sciences

Highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients, or HPAPIs, are a top current area of focus for India-based Aragen Life Sciences. At the Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association (DCAT) Week 2026, Contract Pharma spoke with Aniel Khubchandani, Aragen CEO, Development & Manufacturing Solutions.

This interview covers Aragen’s interest in HPAPI manufacturing, and ambitions to dive further into peptides and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).

Additionally, Khubchandani discusses the makeup of Aragen’s workforce, and the advantages that its employees provide as a CDMO partner.

Contract Pharma: In a general sense, what kinds of trends are you seeing that are driving you toward HPAPI production?

Aniel Khubchandani: From a CDMO perspective, the way I see the market trending is toward adding modalities, obviously HPAPIs. And even in HPAPIs, OEB5 and OEB6 [Occupational Exposure Bands] are catching up. And there’s a need, as the oncology pipeline is getting wider, for Big Pharma companies.

But from there on, the trend is toward peptides and ADCs and oligo[nucleotide]s. So we are also working on peptides as well as ADCs.

Aragen, as a company, probably has one of the biggest teams working on discovery in peptides, about 200 scientists. We are seeing that as an opportunity forward into the developmental phase. That’s our next plan beyond HPAPIs.

We also want to invest some time in the near future in peptides for developmental programs in the GMP [good manufacturing practice] space. And because we are into HPAPIs now, which should start in the next quarter or two, we see that with our presence in payload, we can also do linkers because we have those capabilities.

Then, we have commercial biologics capabilities in Bangalore, where we are doing mAbs [monoclonal antibodies]. It’s an obvious forward integration to ADCs.

We are trying to position ourselves as an end-to-end ADC manufacturing base in India. There is no company today in India that does end-to-end ADCs. There are some companies that have assets out of India, not in India. But there’s nobody in India that’s doing ADCs end-to-end within India.

We will soon have HPAPIs, we can do linkers, we are already doing biologics, mAbs, drug substance. We are also forward integrating into drug products. The CapEx has already been approved by the board. We are moving on that. Once we have all this, then we will forward integrate into conjugations and do ADCs through that route.

That will give us access to ADCs as well as ODCs [other drug conjugates] and PDCs [protein-drug conjugates], because ultimately the conjugation is the same. So ultimately, I see the market trending toward that, and that is where we are moving ahead.

CP: When we talk about an ‘end-to-end’ partner, how has what that term means evolved as customer demands have evolved? Are you finding that more partners are looking for a company that can do it all?

Khubchandani: Oncology, immunotherapy, tumors, ultimately these are the key modalities that are driving the pipeline. So you have to find a space there if you want to be in the service segment for Big Pharma versus biotech.

And when we say “end-to-end,” it is from concept to clinic. We are a recognized CRO [contract research organization]. We do 70,000 molecules and compounds every year because of our strong presence in discovery. Of 5000 people at Aragen, around 2500 are working in discovery, with a huge PhD-to-scientist ratio. We probably have the highest number of PhDs in the industry, [approximately] 500 PhDs that we have.

Now, with so many programs that we do every year—we are completing our 25th year this year—it’s an obvious reason why we are sitting on a very strong pipeline and client base. That gives us access to forward integrate to development, R&D, and so forth.

Along with our presence in CDMO drug substance, we have drug products for clinical programs. We are attracting more and more clients because of the discovery to CMC [chemistry, manufacturing, and controls] or concept-to-clinic offerings that we have. That’s giving us an advantage.

We are also investing in a drug product OEB6 facility that’s already approved, and we are already midway through the engineering part of it. Soon we are going to get the construction started; it should be up and running in the next year or so.

CP: You mentioned your high number of PhDs on staff. A company’s workforce can impact the trust it builds with its partners. How much of a strength is it for Aragen to point to that kind of talent base—especially if you can retain a certain percentage over time?

Khubchandani: Obviously, when you’re working with 17 of the top 20 Big Pharma companies, the expectations and benchmarks are very different than when you’re working with a biotech company. The strength of the PhD-to-scientist ratio helps position ourselves and deliver at the speed and quality that is needed by Big Pharma.

I think [changes in the market have been] very clear in the past year—the external environment, geopolitical situations. Even though last year, there was China Plus One … and the majority of the Big Pharma and biotech companies wanted to hedge their risk. I would say that is getting more and more reinforced this year with what is happening around the globe.

But that is one dimension that makes Big Pharma more interested in India as well. Having said that, a lot of innovation has also moved to China. We have seen that as a trend. Outlicensing from China has increased quite a lot, whether it is in terms of the patents getting filed, or in terms of the biotech programs being run in China.

So, it’s a mix of multiple things. Let me put it this way: When you see Big Pharma invest in getting outsourcing services done in China, I see that [those companies] are hedging it. And their attraction, or access, toward India has improved in the last one to two years.

Source : Contract Pharma