30 years and counting …
The pharma industry has breached many barriers, but we have miles to go before we can rest on our laurels
Express Pharma marks 30 years of tracking and supporting this vibrant sector this December. As we look forward and plan for the future, we thank our wellwishers and look forward to collaborating with this community over the years to come. As always, do keep the suggestions coming in. As we wind down 2024, the pharma industry keeps its date with CPHI India/PMEC India, an event that’s kept pace with the fortunes of India Pharma Inc. We are sure this year’s event will find new ways of connecting people, technology and thoughts.
Pharma pundits are polishing their crystal balls for the usual round of predictions for 2025 but it’s fair to say that the re-election of Donald Trump as US President will have a far reaching impact on the pharma sector and healthcare policy in the US and globally.
GlobalData’s analysis flags a possible repeal or restructuring of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), coupled with plans to appoint anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to a prominent healthcare role, and raises concerns over public health funding, vaccine policies, and healthcare coverage. For the pharma industry, there may be some positives like Trump’s previous promises to lower drug prices in the US. But GlobalData points out that drug pricing has not been a focus of his 2024 presidential campaign and not much has been mentioned around this topic.
The GlobalData analysis points out that though Trump has vowed to push through amendments of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), he has stopped short of suggesting a complete repeal of the IRA. He may seek to target other areas of the pharma industry, such as pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
But it’s early days yet and President-elect Trump has sent mixed signals. Angel One Wealth’s report, Cues in the News – US Election 2024 cautions that there’s merit in waiting for policy formation to begin to actually spot the sectors which have a silver lining from Trump’s victory. The report predicts that the IT and pharma sectors may benefit from US growth being stronger. IT could also see a services uptick possibly from GCCs in India whereas pharma could benefit from more demand for generics under the government programmes. Thus 2025 will be about observing how Trump sets policy in his second term.
How will a second term of Trump impact India’s pharma sector? Most companies have sizeable revenues from the US market but over the past few years, many started focusing on other geographies, including the India market. Trump’s stance on tariffs could hurt Indian pharma, but the BioSecure Act, aiming to reduce dependence on Chinese companies, could benefit Indian pharma companies, if they put the right plans in place now.
Prime Minister Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat and President-elect Trump’s Make America Great Again slogans stem from a common aim to protect the interests of their countries but no country is an island. The COVID pandemic proved once again that diseases don’t need visas or respect territorial boundaries, so countries will need to collaborate and co-exist.
Another trend that might play out in 2025 is the revival of the tussle between online pharmacies and their traditional counterparts, as Tata 1mg, PharmEasy, and Apollo 24/7 tie up for instant delivery of medicines with the likes of BigBasket, Swiggy and the like. These companies have seen quick commerce take a sizeable slice of the OTC pie and are preempting further inroads.
In a letter to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) has raised concerns about prescription verification, proper storage and transport of medicines and rampant misuse of antibiotics leading to rising antimicrobial resistance.
These are valid concerns and not all online pharmacies will have the bandwidth to invest in putting in place these measures. We need a strong policy that will meld the best of both sectors: the reliability of offline and increased timely access of instant online delivery.
2025 might also see the rise of more patient advocacy groups, putting pressure on the government for better policies, and on pharma and healthcare stakeholders of more affordable medicines and treatment.
Patient awareness too needs to increase, ensuring that they are not misled. For instance, controlling obesity was once about patients shedding weight the hard way: diets, exercise and surgery. The last option was reserved for the severely obese, considered out of reach due to its costs. Today, it’s about quick fixes, like weight loss shots, possibly the most talked about pharma innovation after COVID shots saved us during the pandemic. But doctors are already cautioning us about the side effects of such treatments, especially when the medication is procured from the gray market, and patients self medicate, using the many videos on social media as guides.
As these and other trends play out over the next year, Express Pharma wishes all our readers all the very best for 2025…the pharma industry has breached many barriers, but we have miles to go before we can rest on our laurels.
VIVEKA ROYCHOWDHURY, Editor
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