A Mixed Landscape In 2019

Pushpa Vijayaraghavan, Director, Sathguru Management Consultants, predicts that pharma in 2019 will be a mixed landscape of transformational innovation, value chain shifts and tapered growth with continued pricing pressure

Most regional Indian new year celebrations include a sweet, sour and tangy dish to denote multiple facets of life as we step into another year with optimism and hope. When viewed with a wider strategic lens, the pharma journey in 2018 and what we expect in 2019 couldn't be more poignantly reflective of this reality and how multi-dimensional the evolving dynamic is:

Transformational promise of next-gen healthcare

As a generation, we have the privilege of witnessing the transformation of healthcare into next generation of possibilities. Cost of sequencing being reduced to a fraction of erstwhile levels has opened up wide possibilities for pharma and diagnostic companies as well as healthcare delivery overall, but the true clinical and commercial potential is yet to be realised. 2019 will continue to witness great strides in personalised care - use of genomics and proteomics to deliver therapeutic solutions with higher efficacy though more targeted care for stratified population subgroups. We will continue to revel in the potential of immuno-oncology and other high impact areas of science that now have high level of scientific and investment depth. Finally, we are most excited about the transformative potential of pipeline innovations in gene therapy and gene editing. While 2018 was the landmark year for approvals, 2019 will be the landmark year for market adoption, evolution of more sustainable pricing models, and strengthening of global pipeline in this controversial yet highest potential pursuit within the healthcare domain.

Reality of cost burden and changes in value chain