India Pharma Outlook Team | Friday, 14 August 2026
Drug approvals, MedTech innovation, and pharma legal battles are driving major healthcare developments across global and Indian markets.
Bristol Myers Squibb won US FDA approval for iberdomide, while Heartnet India and IIT Jodhpur Technology Park partnered to advance healthcare and MedTech technologies.
Narayana Health and the New Development Bank signed a knowledge-sharing pact focused on smart hospitals and technology-enabled care.
At the same time, Novartis defended its Entresto patent in a UK court, while Zydus Healthcare strengthened its trademark rights in India.
Together, these developments span drug approvals, technology partnerships and intellectual-property protection across the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.
The latest drug approvals development comes from the US, where the FDA granted accelerated approval to Bristol Myers Squibb’s oral drug Zenbexus (iberdomide) for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Doctors will use the treatment with Johnson & Johnson’s Darzalex and dexamethasone. Iberdomide belongs to the CELMoD class and targets the cereblon protein to help clear myeloma cells.
The approval followed late-stage data showing improved minimal residual disease rates. The FDA included a boxed warning for embryo-fetal toxicity and requires confirmatory trials. Bristol Myers Squibb set a USD 29,500 list price for a 28-day cycle, with availability expected within weeks. About 36,000 new multiple myeloma cases are expected in the US this year.
Also Read: How Can Indian Pharma Strengthen Quality Amid Rising FDA Scrutiny
The MedTech innovation ecosystem received another industry-academia boost as Heartnet India signed an MoU with IIT Jodhpur Technology Park. The partnership targets AI-powered healthcare, diagnostics, point-of-care technologies, medical devices and next-generation MedTech.
The collaboration aims to connect academic research with industry applications, allowing technologies to move toward practical healthcare deployment. Heartnet India brings its IoT-based cardiac-care expertise, while IIT Jodhpur contributes research and technology capabilities.
Narayana Health and the New Development Bank (NDB) signed a knowledge-sharing agreement to strengthen smart-hospital capabilities and patient-centric healthcare services. The partnership covers digital health, technology transfer, and technology-enabled hospital models for NDB and its member countries.
NDB President Dilma Rousseff and Narayana Health Chairman Dr Devi Shetty signed the MoU. The initiative allows Narayana Health to share its operational and technology expertise with emerging economies while supporting NDB’s development objectives.
The latest pharma legal battles include a significant victory for Novartis after London’s High Court rejected Accord Healthcare’s attempt to invalidate the patent protecting Entresto. The court upheld both the patent and its supplementary protection certificate, which extends protection until 2028.
Accord, part of Intas Pharmaceuticals, challenged the patent ahead of a potential generic launch. Judge Richard Meade rejected Accord’s challenges and found that its proposed product would infringe Novartis’ rights. Entresto’s European patent expired in 2023, but the supplementary certificate continues its protection. The drug contributes about 10 per cent of Novartis’ sales.
The Zydus case adds another dimension to pharma legal battles, this time around trademarks rather than patents. The Delhi High Court upheld restrictions against Alder Biochem, preventing it from using Alder Biochem or deceptively similar marks that could conflict with Zydus Healthcare’s registered Biochem trademark.
Zydus has held the Biochem registration since 1959 and has used the mark since 1968. Alder argued that Biochem represented a commonly used term, but the court maintained the protection.
The ruling signals why pharma companies increasingly need to protect brand identity alongside patents. Patent rights defend innovations, while trademarks protect the names and identities that companies build in the market. For drugmakers, the decision reinforces the value of early registration, sustained commercial use and active trademark enforcement.
Drug approvals are expanding treatment options, MedTech innovation is connecting technology with healthcare delivery, and pharma legal battles are becoming central to protecting commercial value. Bristol Myers Squibb’s Zenbexus approval demonstrates continued investment in advanced therapies, while the Heartnet-IIT Jodhpur and Narayana-NDB partnerships show India’s growing role in technology-enabled healthcare.
Meanwhile, the Novartis and Zydus cases underline a broader shift. Pharmaceutical companies are protecting not only patents but also trademarks and market identity. Together, innovation and intellectual-property protection are becoming equally important pillars of pharmaceutical growth.
