UBM India, India's leading exhibition organiser, has launched the India Pharma Week, a bouquet of over 10 trend-setting activities across the city of Mumbai, to mark the special 10th anniversary of CPhI & P-MEC India 2016, its flagship event and the world’s leading pharma networking event. With the introduction of the India Pharma Week, the expo transformed itself from a three-day exhibition to a marquee show spanning a week (IPW, November 2016 17th to 23rd).
Introduced in 2006, the CPhI & P-MEC India, originating from CPhI Worldwide, - has become South Asia's leading pharma meeting place covering every step of the supply chain, from drug discovery to finished dosage including machinery and packaging. The show has grown exponentially over the years, with domestic and foreign exhibitors and visitors engaging over significant levels of business.
The inauguration of the India Pharma Week was followed by the Pre-Connect Congress that set the weeklong activities in motion. The launch event served as an opportunity for global players to learn about India’s pharma regulatory requirements, growth and emerging segments for future business. The series of panel discussions included trending topics such as ‘Exploring Conventional and Unconventional Avenues to Enhance Pharmaceutical Export Potential’; ‘Mergers and Acquisition – Driving force for Indian Pharma Sector’; ‘Biosimilars – The next Big Thing; Quality Compliance – A Cultural Pre-Requisite Or External Obligation?’ and ‘Make in India- A Pharma Perspective.’
The Pre-Congress hosted top pharmaceutical leaders such D G Shah, Secretary General, IPA; Sharad Tyagi, managing director, Boehringer Ingelheim; Srini Srinivasan, managing Director, Hospira Healthcare Pvt Ltd – A Pfizer Company; Sanjit Singh Lamba, managing director, Eisai Pharmaceuticals; CT. Renganathan, managing director, RPG Lifesciences; Krishna Prasad Chigurupati, founder and managing director, Granules India; Vivek Sharma, CEO, Piramal Pharma Solutions & Critical Care; Ashok Bhattacharya, managing director, Takeda Pharmaceuticals; G. Munjal, managing director & CEO, Ind-swift laboratories; and Satya Karm Punia, managing director, Camus Pharma; among others to present their unique insights on the discussions.
Other key upcoming events revolving around the India Pharma Week include The Women in Pharma-Power Breakfast session on November 18 that will address the fact that despite advancements, women still comprise only 15 per cent of the total workforce in the Indian pharma industry. The talks will be chaired by women who have broken the glass ceiling in the pharma sector such as Samina Vaziralli, executive vice-chairman, Cipla; Dr Anurita Majumdar, senior medical director & Global Established Pharma Medical Lead, Pfizer; and Dr Rashmi Hegde, director – Medical, Abbott, among others.
Slated for the evening of November 18 is the India Pharma Awards, an endeavour that recognizes and celebrates the excellence, achievements and innovations of pharma industry stalwarts along with networking opportunities, presentations and glamorous entertainment acts. The Pharma Leaders’ Golf on November 20, on the other hand, will have key pharma leaders teeing off under the winter sun, providing networking and business opportunities.
A strategic gathering of industry thought leaders, the exclusive, closed door CEO Round Table on November 22 will congregate CEOs of leading Pharma companies to deep dive into thought-provoking, solution-driven discussions on key challenges within the industry, which will result in the presentation of a White Paper Report to policy makers. Some of the key thought leaders who will be present at the meet are Sanjiv Navangul, managing director, Janssen India, (a pharmaceutical company of Johnson and Johnson; Sudarshan Jain, MD, Abbott Healthcare; Dr. BPS Reddy, chairman & managing director, Hetero Drugs; Dr Dinesh Dua, CEO, Nectar Lifesciences; DG Shah, president, IPA; Madan Mohan Reddy, director, Aurobindo; Kanchana TK, president, OPPI; Prashant Nagre, CEO, Fermenta Biotech; Dr. Ketan R. Patel, chairman & managing director, Troikaa and Dr. Dushyant R Patel, chairman & managing director, Astral SteriTech.
The India Pharma Week seeks to showcase the potent Indian pharmaceuticals market. The industry is the third largest in terms of volume and is expected to grow over 15 per cent per annum by 2020. India is the largest provider of generic drugs globally with Indian generics accounting for 20 per cent of global exports in terms of volume. Presently over 80 per cent of the antiretroviral drugs used globally to combat AIDS are supplied by Indian pharmaceutical firms. India has also maintained its lead over China in pharmaceutical exports with a Y-O-Y growth of 11.44 per cent to US$ 12.91 billion in FY 2015-16, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Speaking at the inauguration of the India Pharma Week, Yogesh Mudras, managing director, UBM India said, "The India Pharma Week is a melting pot of ideas and a wholesome knowledge sharing avenue through which our flagship pharma event, the CphI & P-MEC goes beyond the realm of a wall-bound show to one with considerable intellectual value addition. It provides key stakeholders a chance to interact, align, partner, learn, share as well as identify key opportunities unfolding in the developed as well as emerging markets. With a focus on the pillars of business, knowledge, leadership, innovation, recognition and networking, we at UBM India are honoured to be the catalysts of change in the pharma industry – equally supported by the doyens and innovators from the sector.”