Why Indian Pharma Must Evolve As 'Value Creator'

As the third-largest drug producer in the world, India is already a major global pharmaceutical player. However, when it comes to the value of production, India ranks fourteenth. A deeper dive into the details reveals an important fact: India is the largest producer and supplier of generic medicines globally, delivering a 20 per cent share. India's pharmaceutical sector has the highest number of USFDA-approved manufacturing plants outside the USA, 3,000 pharmaceutical companies, a network of 10,500 manufacturing facilities and a rich talent pool. So, why does it lag so significantly in deriving value from its assets? Is there an opportunity for the Indian pharmaceutical industry to evolve in a way that moves India up on the value scale by increasing innovation - and what will it take? Let's find out.

- Dr Mahesh Bhalgat

Dr Mahesh Bhalgat, Chief Operating Officer, Syngene International

Contract Research Organisations (CROS) constitute one such opportunity. Focusing on the early years of drug discovery and development, CROS offer a smart avenue for pharmaceutical companies to conduct their research activities by outsourcing to a competent entity that specialises in pharmaceutical research. The dynamics are similar to the journey of the IT services industry in India that has evolved with time, and today, they partner around sophisticated end-to-end solutions that add value to the sector in many ways. The pharmaceutical companies today appreciate the value that Indian CROs can add by critiquing, challenging and adding to their scientific ideas and hypotheses. They expect their outsourcing partner to bring in their own experience and expertise to the table. It's about the intellectual added value that segues perfectly.

The Indian CRO/contract manufacturing organisations development and (CDMOs) industry has also started moving towards integration of services. Earlier companies started out with standalone, siloed services. Consequently, piece-meal activities in chemistry, biology were outsourced, but most of the value creation work remained within the pharma companies. Over time, CROS and CDMOS have started integrating services in the value chain. This helps in plotting a course through innovation, solving problems and moving a molecule through discovery into development and manufacturing, ultimately, for the benefit of patients. This has been an essential factor that is driving more collaborations between the pharma/biotech companies and CRO/CDMOS.