Shantha Biologics to provide cartridge fill-finish services for Novo Nordisk

Vaccine maker Shantha Biologics has signed a deal with Novo Nordisk to produce cartridges for injectable drugs for the Danish pharmaceutical giant at its Hyderabad factory.

Announcing the deal, Shantha Biologics said it would fill and prepare the cartridges for use, the final, highly precise step in the production of drugs such as insulin and other injectable treatments.

It was stated that the financial terms and production volumes within the scope of the agreement were not disclosed. Novo Nordisk has launched blockbuster diabetes and obesity drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.

“Novo Nordisk’s selection of us as a CDMO partner is a strong endorsement of the quality of our site, processes and technical capability. It validates years of investment in creating production systems that meet the standards expected by global innovators,” Shantha Biologics director Vishy Chebrol said in a press release.

He said that this development also strengthens the claim that India can be not only a low-cost production base but also a serious partner in advanced manufacturing.

Cartridge refilling involves loading a medication into a thin, prefilled cartridge that is inserted into the pen syringe; This is the format patients use to self-administer their medications at home rather than in the hospital. Because the drug enters directly into the body, the process requires sterile, contamination-free conditions and strict dosing accuracy. The company stated that this production format is used in a number of chronic and long-term conditions, including diabetes, obesity and oncology treatments delivered through biologic therapies.

Shantha Biologics, which traces its roots to the Indian vaccines business founded by Varaprasad Reddy in 1993, entered a new chapter in 2024 under the consortium led by Ravi Penmetsa and Mr. Chebrol. Mr. Reddy currently serves as chairman of the Board of Directors. The company has two businesses today; one is the original vaccine work. The other is a cartridge filling-finishing unit built to meet the growing demand for injectable drugs such as insulin, GLP-1 therapies and antibody therapies.

CDMO partnerships for biologics (drugs made from living cells rather than chemicals) are powering the rapidly growing global market. Citing industry estimates, the company said it is worth $25.32 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow to $38.29 billion by 2031.

Shantha Biologics said it plans to further expand into vaccine, biologics and injectable manufacturing as demand grows. Without mentioning the current number of employees, it was stated that the Hyderabad workforce is expected to grow to around 500 employees in the near future.