Keen to tap the emerging market opportunities in Japan, Pharmexcil with the support of ministry of commerce has developed a unique roadmap to engage with stakeholders' in Japan. To spruce up its activities and boost exports to Japan, Pharmexcil plans to identify and develop critical mass of Indian companies over a period of three years who have potential to do business with Japanese companies.
 
It is understood that a delegation headed by Sudhanshu Pandey, joint secretary, department of commerce along with Dr V G Somani, joint drug controller, CDSCO; representatives from the industry and Pharmexcil will be meeting their counterparts from Japan from September 13 to19 for creating opportunities for India. This steps are being taken to live up to the challenges of increasing market share in Japan and emerge as the most reliable partner to provide high quality affordable generics to Japan.
 
The Council is soon planning to start identifying companies in Japan for exploring opportunities for Indian companies in sourcing generics from India, to make India as hub for generics manufacture and avail contract manufacturing, R&D, technology transfers, joint ventures and collaboration etc. Dr P V Appaji director general of Pharmexcil, informed that this strategic step is being taken with an aim to utilize the market opportunities so that both the countries can mutually benefit from the same.
 
He stressed that though the councils previous efforts have resulted in creating awareness and warming up the local industry towards Indian companies, a more detailed and focused sustained efforts need to be complimented with more participation from industry with a road map.
 
Informing about the roadmap, he said that it has been prepared in association with IBEF under the active guidance of ministry to further enhance the Indian exports to Japan in a more strategic manner. The road map focuses on increased networking through MoUs with key associations like OPMA, with whom Council already has a strong engagement, Japan Generic Manufacturers Association and others.
 
Further the council also plans to explore engagement with pharma clusters in various prefectures through seminars, one-to-one meeting, along side with frequent regulatory exchange programme between the PMDA officials and DCGI through seminars in India and Japan. “This initiatives will not only create more awareness on each others' regulatory framework, but also boost the confidence of the stakeholders as well,” he added.
 
To initiate greater engagement with Japanese pharma sector, Pharmexcil in the past has engaged in some major activities like launching Brand India Pharma during opening ceremony of CPhI-Japan-2012 and subsequent participation in successive years; initiate experience India programme wherein journalists from Japan were invited to India and write their reports on Indian pharma industry; organising regulatory meet etc.
 
Similarly, the Council has also strategically engaged in engagement with associations in Japan to forge more one-to-one interactions between prospective business partners from both countries. This also helped in facilitating exchange of market information between two organisations for the benefit of industry as a whole.