Senior officials from the Department of Commerce, along with representatives from India’s fast-growing pharmaceutical industry with India Brand Equity Foundation, would be leading the Brand India Pharma campaign at CPhI Worldwide 2014 in Paris this year.

CPhI Worldwide is the largest pharmaceutical trade exhibition organised each year by the UBM Group and takes place in October, rotating between three cities: Frankfurt, Madrid and Paris. CPhI Worldwide 2014 is scheduled to be held from October 7-9, 2014 in Paris.

The Indian presence at CPhI Worldwide 2014 will be led by Rajeev Kher, Commerce Secretary, Government of India, who will be accompanied by senior officials of the Department of Commerce, the Drugs Controller General of India Dr G N Singh, State Drugs Controllers, representatives from Pharmexcil, CEO, IBEF and a large contingent of Indian business leaders from the industry.

More than 200 Indian pharmaceutical companies will participate in CPhI Worldwide this year as part of the Brand India Pharma initiative. The Indian pharmaceutical industry is one of India’s greatest success stories globally and ranks amongst the top global generic formulation exporters in volume terms. Ranked among the top six producers of pharmaceuticals worldwide, the country has 10,500 manufacturing units and more than 3,000 pharma companies.

“The Indian pharmaceutical industry has been able to penetrate highly-regulated markets such as the US and Europe, thanks to the industry’s focus on quality and innovation. The Brand India Pharma initiative is designed to support and help our homegrown industry play a larger part on the world stage,” commented Sudhanshu Pandey, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Government of India.

“India’s pharma exports stood at Rs.90,000 crore (US$ 15 billion) in 2013-14. Pharma exports from India would cross the Rs.1 lakh crore (US$ 16.4 billion) mark in the current financial year,” added Dr P V Appaji, Director General, Pharmexcil.

The Brand India Pharma campaign is a significant initiative led India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) under the aegis of the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, to highlight the value proposition that Indian pharmaceuticals present today to the world.

Launched at CPhI, Japan in March 2012, the Brand India Pharma campaign has played a critical role in highlighting the value proposition of Indian pharmaceutical products in the global market. India was the Focus Country at CPhI Worldwide in 2012 and the Value Partner at Frankfurt in 2013.

“The Brand India Pharma campaign has played its part, especially at CPhI Worldwide, consistently positioning India in the premium space and leveraging the platform to create a wider, informed perspective amongst relevant stakeholders,” said Aparna Dutt Sharma, CEO, India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF).

With a strategic mix of branding elements such as on-ground branding, media outreach, participation in business seminars and industry interactions, Brand India Pharma aims to showcase the strengths of the Indian pharmaceutical industry. This year’s campaign will focus on growth drivers within the industry (government support and regulatory framework, cost efficiencies and technical capabilities) and will play its part in reinforcing the credibility of the Indian pharmaceutical industry.