Considering the changes happening in health and pharma sectors world over, the pharmaceutical companies engaged in research and development (R&D) activities in India must figure out and comprehend the transformation and adopt measures to replicate it.

In the western world, the R&D activities in pharmaceutical area are going through turmoil due to regulatory hurdles and the political developments there. Similar challenges are occurring in the field of innovation in India also, according to Dr Shailesh Ayyangar, president of the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), and the managing director of Sanofi India Limited.

As far as Indian pharma sector is concerned, the major pharma companies in the country are concentrated on targeted therapies. Understanding of diseases helps for major changes in research. India has a number of manufacturing companies to undertake research activities for targeted therapies. The situation needs the support of the government in large scale.

Dr Ayyangar was delivering a lecture on the subject, “Roadmap for Marketing to Small and Medium Pharma Companies in the Current Scenario”, at a function organised by TN IPA and TN Pharmaceutical Welfare Trust in Chennai.

He said though regulatory hurdles are rising up everywhere, the world is opening up for more molecules to be off-patented, which will become helpful for large scale researches. Manufacturers who want to engage in R&D work must be aware of the situation and be prepared for it. Every employee of each company should be viewed as a source for innovation.

According to Ayyangar, India stands next to US in the case of US FDA plants. This is a major advantage for innovation and a facility to face challenges.

Indian pharma industry has the potential to produce all kinds of combination drugs. Centralized regulatory system of the country is also helpful for undertaking research activities. A remarkable thing seems to be better than other countries is that either the government or the people of the country are not willing to accept low quality medicines. This always encourages for innovation and research.

As changes happen in the research area, changes are also occurring on the government side, patients’ side and on the physicians’ side. Government is spending huge amount of money for educating the public on resistance aspect of the medicines. Emergence of ‘super power patients’ forces the government for scrutiny of marketing practices and to control price mechanism. Besides, the new age physicians opt for innovative products, he said adding that all the industrial units must understand these changes happening in the pharma sector.