HP emerging as pharmaceutical hub of India: Dhumal

Shimla, Dec 24: Himachal Pradesh is emerging as a manufacturing hub for pharma products and is likely to produce about three-fourth of the country's total requirement, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said today.

There was hardly any renowned multinational pharma company which had not opted to manufacture medicines in Himachal Pradesh, Dhumal said, while presiding over 35th meeting of the state-level single window clearance and monitoring authority here.

The CM said the state expects to be in a position to manufacture about 70 per cent of the total medicines of the country in coming few years.

He said the investment in the hill state had been attracted by the special industrial package provided by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003.

The state has succeeded in attracting investment worth Rs 35,667 crore and create employment potential for about 4,08,000 youths through 11,404 new industrial units and 321 expansion projects so far, he added.

Five Indians among 40 influential Pharma faces

New Delhi: London-based SPG Media, publishers of the annual "World Pharmaceutical Frontiers" survey, has included five Indians among the top 40 influential people in the global pharmaceutical industry in 2008.

These include former drugs controller M. Venkateshwarlu, Ranbaxy CMD Malvinder Mohan Singh, Ranjit Shahani, India chief of Swiss pharma major Novartis AG, Ramaprasad Reddy, chairman Aurobindo Pharma and Rajesh Jain, joint managing director, Panacea Biotec.

The survey, which focused on "innovation" rather than "business volume", selected Mario R Capecchi, Oliver Smithie and Martin J Evans, joint winners of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine as the most influential people.

Arthur Levinson, Chairman and CEO Genetech, Bill and Melinda Gates, co-directors of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Margaret Chan, director general WHO, Michael Rawlins, chairman, NICE, Andrew Witty, incoming CEO, GlaxoSmithKline, Bill Clinton, founder Clinton Foundation were among the people figured among the top 10.

Venkateshwarlu is in the 16th position, followed by Malvinder Singh at the 21 slot. Ranjit Shahani was ranked 24, up by 14 places from 38 last year. Both Ramaprasad Reddy and Rajesh Jain, at 35th and 40th positions respectively, have made the list for the first time.

"Last year, our list was dominated by business and big spenders. This year, however, there has been a shift of power, with no sign of any ‘big pharma' in the top ten. The exception is the incoming CEO of GlaxoSmithKline Andrew Witty, who has been a driving force within the organisation for years," Andrew Tunnicliffe, editor World Pharmaceutical Frontiers stated.

Other inclusions show how regulatory and governing bodies have made an impact. Michael Rawlins, NICE chairman, made it to the top five, demonstrating how the power base has shifted from pharma to those who monitor them.

The reason for this refocus from finances to innovation is, in part, the result of a tightening marketplace, fiercer competition and the opening up of the increasingly dynamic emerging economies of India and China", Andrew Tunnicliffe, editor World Pharmaceutical Frontiers stated.

In addition to Tunnicliffe, the selection panel included Agnes S. Klein, director of the Centre for Evaluation of Radiopharmaceuticals and Biotherapeutic Products in Biologics and Genetic Therapies Directorate, Clive Savage, director of Corporate Communication, IMS Health, Michael A Santoro, associate professor, Rutgers Business School, Newark, US, and Andrew Jack, pharmaceutical correspondent with Financial Times, London.

This is the second survey conducted by SPG media.
Source: Business Standard

KAMAL NATH ADDRESSES INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PHARMA

INDIAN PHARMA COMPANIES FULLY EQUIPPED FOR NEW PATENT REGIME, SAYS KAMAL NATH ADDRESSES INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PHARMA

Date : 01 Feb 2005
Location : New Delhi

Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, has said that the Indian pharmaceutical companies are poised and fully equipped to take advantage of the US $ 50 billion worth of drugs going off patent in the next five years after introduction of the new patent regime. "We’ll grab a major share of this", he said in his address at an international conference organised by the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House, London, last evening. The theme of the Conference was the pharmaceutical industry in the 21st century and whether India is challenging the conventional R&D business model.

Shri Kamal Nath told the large gathering that India presented an ideal confluence of five factors viz., (1) cost-effective manufacturing; (2) well-developed chemical industry infrastructure; (3) strong vertical integration (from bulk to formulations to packing); (4) abundant scientific talent & technical skills; and (5) unique synergy in fields of IT, biotech & medicine. "Time is, therefore, ripe for a quantum leap. Our objective is not only to manufacture drugs, but also to make India a hub for medical research and clinical data management", the Minister said.

The pharma industry in India is a $ 10 billion industry. India has 300 pharma companies of large and moderate size and another 10,000 small and tiny firms. But 70% of the production is by the top 100 larger companies. The industry manufactures about 400 bulk drugs and almost the entire range of formulations. About a third of India’s production – close to US $ 3.5 billion – is exported and exports are growing at 25% per annum. Half a billion dollars worth of exports are to the US alone, while Germany, Russia, the UK, Canada, Italy and Japan are among others. Large quantities of medicines are also exported from India to China, Brazil, Nigeria and Mexico, Shri Kamal Nath informed the large audience. But he also pointed out that: "While the statistics do reveal that India has a huge drug industry (8% of the world’s drugs are manufactured in India) – it also becomes apparent that the financial realisations are not commensurate with the size. This means that while we are getting paid for the actual stuff, there is no financial realisation for the ‘intellectual property’ value behind the formulations – and in the drug industry it is this intellectual property value that constitutes the huge margins".

"In the 21st century, the pharmaceutical value chain would depend on the ability of pharmaceutical companies to make the technological shift necessary to maintain their competitive positions. India provides not just the possibility – but the unique & tangible opportunity for international pharma firms to make that desired ‘technological shift’ – in process, and (more literally) in location! The question before Pharma Company CEOs the world over today is not: ‘Should my company go to India?’ but ‘Can my company afford not to go to India’?", Shri Kamal Nath said.

BIG BOOST FOR INDIAN PHARMA

The Indian Pharmaceutical Industry is in belated mood following win of Barack Obama. Generic drugs represent 65% of total prescriptions dispensed in US. Obama, who favors cost savings as key to health reforms & aims in his health plan to increase use of generics, is expected to give a big push to Indian Drug industry. Obama’s support for generics & biogenerics at 2008 shows Annual Policy Conference of Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA). In 2006-07, Indian exports comprised 16% of total drugs exported to US. India has 80 US Food and Drug Administration approved plants. Indian contract manufacturing market, which estimated at $869 million in 2007, is projected to grow at a CAGR of 41% to $2.46 billion by 2010.

Pharma fortunes [The Times of India]

Ever since mankind was forced to come to terms with the fragility of human life, it has been consumed with conquering it. Is it any wonder then, that billions of dollars each year are pumped into the research and development of drugs to combat death, disease or aging?

Pharmacy has come a long way. After centuries of succumbing to plagues, poxes, or even the common cold, breakthroughs in the pharmaceutical industry have now equipped the world to deal with new strains that threaten a global pandemic every now and then, treat potentially terminal and ordinary illnesses perpetrated by changing lifestyles, or even just ensure good healthcare practices.

The Indian pharmaceutical industry is touted by many as one of the largest of the developing world, and has also gained a reputation for producing high-quality, low-cost generic drugs.

“According to the McKinsey Report, Indian Pharma 2015 (Unlocking the potential of the Indian pharma market), the Indian pharmaceutical industry is growing in leaps and bounds with a CAGR of 13% from 2002 to 2007, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16% over 2007 to 2011,” reveals Pradeep Vaishnav, senior director, Aventis Pharma Limited (Group sanofi-aventis), Mumbai, adding, “The industry is on the global radar now, more than ever, with India being viewed as the most sought-after destination for pharma activities, primarily research and development, and clinical research.” India’s prominent position in the world pharmaceutical sector can be credited, in part, to her mastery over pharma engineering technology, and reverse engineering of patented drug molecules.

Vaishnav goes on to add, “Many multinational, pharmaceutical companies are here, seeking India’s high level of scientific expertise and large pool of English-speaking talent. Besides, India still maintains its stronghold in contract manufacturing, which has further widened the scope of opportunities available in the pharmaceutical industry. Additionally, the concept of pharmaceutical retail chains has gained momentum in recent years, and has created numerous employment opportunities in the sector.”

The demand for a skilled workforce to power this sector has thrown open several job profiles for aspirants. Research and development has several areas. According to Prabir Jha, global chief, HR, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, Hyderabad, the area a student chooses within R&D, depends on his interest and passion. He says, “On one level, he can work in drug discovery, which is discovery of a new molecule. R&D can pertain to the development of generic products, analytical R&D, API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) or bulk drugs R&D, or development of formulations, all of which have their own super-specialisations.”

Sanjay Muthal, managing director, Nugrid Consulting, predicts, “NCE or discovery research for a New Chemical Entity is a very promising area. There is a lot of reverse brain-drain in this space, and we are able to attract people from the US and UK to pursue research here.” This area, therefore, offers an opportunity to work with the best minds from across the world.

“R&D can also deal with drug delivery, which can be in the form of a tablet, capsule or injection,” explains R N Saha, professor of pharmacy and dean, Education Development Division, BITS-Pilani. He elaborates, “While meat is considered food, you cannot consume it in its raw form. You have to cook it. Similarly, you need to consume drugs through the correct delivery. There are opportunities in this area too.”

Quality control is a critical function of the pharmaceutical industry. Besides researching and developing new drugs, there is also a need to ensure that drugs can be marketed as those that produce results, which are safe, consistent and predictable. Considering the pace at which this sector is producing better, more effective drugs, there is also a need for more accurate and sophisticated analytical methods to aid their evaluation.

Manufacturing pertains to actual production of the drug. “In manufacturing, an aspirant can either be involved in API manufacturing, while someone with a pharmacy background, can also build a career in manufacturing formulations,” explains Jha.

Screening of drugs involves testing new drugs or formulations on animal models, or conducting clinical research, which is essentially human testing. Professor Saha reveals, “Clinical research has recently witnessed a lot of international interest, with foreign companies coming to India to conduct clinical research.”

Pharma is a regulated industry the world over, and professionals, who can manage regulatory affairs, are in high demand. “You can’t sell drugs like you sell anything else. Regulation is essentially a government affair, and it is an art and science to keep abreast of all the regulatory norms in the country,” declares Jha. However, Saha clarifies, “The regulatory sphere is not just a government sphere. For instance, if a company wants to market its product in the US, then they have to go by USFDA (United States Food and Drug Association) guidelines. For this, they will have advisors within the company, as well.”

Unlike, pharmacies and pharmacists in India, pharmacists abroad have a very important role. It is because of this gap that needs to be bridged that Saha believes this area offers innumerable opportunities. “Pharmacists abroad are called registered pharmacists. Just like a doctor would require a licence to practice medicine, they require a licence to practice pharmacy. They have to pass a test and register,” asserts Saha, adding, “this is a lucrative job abroad and offers a high salary. When patients take a doctor’s prescription to the pharmacy, the pharmacist will determine if everything is in order. If he feels there has been an error in the prescription, he has the authority to call the doctor and tell him so, and also request him to make a change.”

The Pharmacy Council of India has started a six-year programme, PharmD, to provide training in this discipline.

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