15th CPHI & PMEC India showcases pharma machineries, equipment, ingredients and technologies

The 15th edition of CPHI & PMEC India 2022, organised by Informa Markets, commenced at India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, yesterday, brought together more than 50,000 visitors and 1,500 exhibitors from across the globe, and representation from over 80 countries. The shows comprised programmes such as the 9th Annual India Pharma Awards, CEO Roundtable and ‘Women in Pharma’ Roundtable, moderated by Viveka Roychowdhury, Editor, Express Pharma and Express Healthcare, The Indian Express.

The shows provided an opportunity to all stakeholders to discuss the entire range of pharma machinery, analytical instruments, laboratory technologies and equipment, ancillaries, ingredients and more in a hybrid format.

After a CPHI Pre-Connect Congress on 28th November, 2022, in Delhi, the CPHI & PMEC India with the theme #GetPharmore with Pharmore opportunities and Pharmore connections, witnessed one of the largest gatherings of industry experts, leading manufacturers, buyers’ community, policy advisers and other key stakeholders.

The shows were inaugurated by Dr Veeramani SV, Vice- Chairman, Pharmexcil; Alessandro Liberatori, Director, Italian Trade Commissions; AVPS Chakravarthi, Ambassador – World Packaging Organisation and Board Member, Pharmexcil; Bodh Raj Sikri, Chairman, Federation of Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurs; Margaret Ma, President and CEO, Informa Markets, Asia; Chris Eve, Executive Vice President, Informa Markets, Asia; Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets, India; Rahul Deshpande, Senior Group Director, Informa Markets, India; and Ranjith Paul, Group Director, Informa Markets, India.

Speaking on the sidelines of the inaugural session, Ravi Udaya Bhaskar, Director General, Pharmexcil, said, “The Indian pharmaceutical exports have recorded an impressive growth of approximately five per cent in the current financial year (April-Oct 2022). Despite having global challenges, we have exported over $25 billion in the biggest market, which means about 30 per cent of our exports are going to the US. At CPHI & PMEC India, we received a great response with more than 100 pharma companies and 100+ stalls and huge number of bookings. We are looking forward to participate in the next edition, with a larger floor space and a market size in excess of $27 billion for FY23.”

Offering the industry perspective, Dr Veeramani said, “There is a strong push from the government towards creating an ecosystem for innovation so that India can become a leader in discovery of drugs and medical technology. Currently, the Indian pharmaceutical market is valued at around $50 billion, out of which almost $25 billion constitutes the export market. CPHI & PMEC India 2022 has provided an unbiased and vocal platform which brings all the key stakeholders on one table and contribute towards nation’s target, with the vision that the domestic market will touch $130 billion by 2030 out of which over 60 per cent will only be exports.”

Some of the key exhibitors at the shows included Hetero, Aurobindo, Signet, Teva, Optimus, Lonza Capsules, Merck, IMCD, Fette Compacting, Elmach, ACG, BD Pharma, IMA, Cadmach and GEA, among others.

The expos are primarily supported by industry associations such as Pharmexcil, CIPI, IDMA, ASPA, IPA, IPEC, FOPE and KDPMA.

Addressing the opportunities in this sector, Mudras said, “India’s pharmaceutical sector has done far more than proving itself in terms of manufacturing volumes, and emerged as a lifesciences leader within the post-pandemic order. India’s pharmaceutical sector is a $50 billion industry, and is anticipated to grow to at least $150 billion in less than a decade. The government is also developing new strategies to strengthen the sector which has led to the creation of innovation hubs making India an ideal testing ground for innovations in digital health.

“Our shows CPHI & PMEC India have demonstrated excellence in further supporting the industry by curating highly effective platforms for showcasing technology solutions, knowledge sharing, networking and advocacy. We are confident that the 15th edition of the show and the other events surrounding it will deliver unprecedented success for all participants of this industry. Furthermore, they will play their role in encouraging the ‘Make in India’ credo of the government that aims to facilitate investment, foster innovation, enhance skill development, protect intellectual property and build the best-in-class manufacturing infrastructure.”

COVID’s impact on the industry was transformative and the pace of the development in the pharma sector took off. The international generics market is projected to grow at a six per cent CAGR for the next five years, whereas the Indian generics export market has been recording almost 2.5 times growth compared to the global generics market. In that sense, the growth of the Indian pharma industry can be extrapolated to 10 per cent CAGR for the next five years, with exports then possibly reaching $40 billion in the next five years.

In addition to this, telehealth and digital health has gained significant importance, along with evolving innovative technologies in healthcare such as, AI or robotics. To fully optimise on the available resources and the need to enable the transformation, CPHI & PMEC India provides a quality perspective, encourages the players to take advantage of the sector’s potential and collaborate with industry stakeholders.

Alongside the display of the latest technologies of CPHI & PMEC India, the CEO Roundtable brought forth innovations in the pharma sector and discussed how Indian pharma companies can achieve a global leadership in value that is being generated. The topics discussed were ‘Competing with developed countries by optimising manufacturing and supply chain’ and ‘Accelerating research in complex generics and new chemical entities to be on map with global innovators.’