India Pharma Week debuts in Delhi

Key stakeholders and professionals of the pharma industry congregated to network and celebrate the industry under one giant umbrella through avant-garde events

India Pharma Week, a week-long event including premier shows such as CPhI and P-MEC India, was held recently at India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi-NCR. It organised more than seven events and activities pertaining to business, knowledge, leadership, innovation, recognition and networking in the field of pharma. It kick-started with a Pharma Leaders Golf in Mumbai. Later, a series of interesting and engaging activities such as Pharma Connect Congress, Women in Pharma, India Pharma Awards, Networking Evening, the CPhI & P-MEC India Exhibition and a closed-door CEO Roundtable, among others, were held in Greater Noida.

It was attended by key stakeholders and professionals of the pharma industry congregated to network and celebrate the industry under one giant umbrella through avant-garde events. Reportedly, this year’s edition witnessed participation from more than 1,600 exhibitors from over 42 countries. Special pavilions by Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil), China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Medicines & Health Products (CCCMHPIE) and China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) were also part of the expo. The organisers expect the shift to Delhi-NCR region will further foster a comprehensive pharma ecosystem.

Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India, in an earlier interview with Express Pharma had said, “Given the stupendous growth of the show, and the infrastructural and travel logistics hitch in Mumbai, we felt it would be extremely beneficial to have a bigger, consolidated venue that offered the entire spectacle under one umbrella. Besides, the Delhi-NCR region has become the heart of India for holding some of the biggest events in the country. Being in close geographical proximity to policy makers, consulates and government bodies, the show is poised to enhance the industry’s community building efforts.”

Key highlights at IPW

CPhI & P-MEC: CPhI and P-MEC India, held from 12 – 14 December 2018, was attended by the movers and shakers in India’s pharma machinery, technology and ingredients industry for a competitive advantage.  It has become South Asia’s leading pharma meeting place covering every step of the supply chain from drug discovery to finished dosage.

The organisers, this year, was looking at recruiting young talent, conducting knowledge sharing sessions comprising eminent industry stalwarts and producing a special White Paper Report on the challenges of the sector that will be prepared based on the recommendations of the top CEOs of pharma companies and presented to the Prime Minister’s Office.

India Pharma Awards and Networking Night: The India Pharma Awards, in its sixth year, celebrated the advances and achievements of the Indian pharma industry on December 12, 2018. The Awards nominations were judged and evaluated by a jury panel including industry veterans such as Bhalchandra G Barve, Joint Managing Director of Blue Cross Laboratories; Lion Daara B Patel, Secretary-General IDMA; Sunil Bambarkar, Managing Director, Gattefosse India; Subodh Priolkar, CEO, Wincoat Colours & Coatings; SM Mudda, Director Global Strategy, Microlabs and Dr RB Smarta, Secretary, HADSA. Reportedly, this year over 65 nominations were received from companies such as Cipla,  Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Abbott Healthcare, Fermenta Biotech, Parle Global Technologies, ACG and Clariant Healthcare Packaging. The Process Advisors, EY helped the jury select the winners of this year’s edition who were formally recognised and rewarded at the India Pharma Awards and Networking Night.

Pharma Connect Congress: With the theme of ‘Ideate. Innovate. Integrate’, the Pharma Connect Congress helped create a platform for the leaders and game changers to come together and strategise to make India the next major hub of end-to-end drug discovery. Held on December 12, 2018 the topics of discussion included ‘Transforming the Pharma Industry Architect Through Collaborations’, ‘Strategies to Strengthen Regulatory Policies in India’, ‘Role of Digitalisation in Transforming the Pharmaceutical Sector’ and ‘Leveraging Latest Innovations in Technology’ amongst others.

Daara B Patel, Secretary-General, IDMA; Suresh Pattathil, CEO, Ferring Pharmaceuticals; Ashok Bhattacharya, Executive Director, Takeda Pharmaceuticals India; Krishna Prasad, Director, Contract Operations Quality Assurance – Consumer Healthcare, APAC, Pfizer; Kamal Mehta, Sr. VP – Formulations R&D, Jubilant Generics; Manish Gumber, Director & Lead – India Portfolio Planning, Cipla; Vipul Kumar Gupta, Associate Director – Corporate Affairs (India Regulatory) at Cipla; Dr Ravi Sekhar Kasibhatta, Senior VP – Clinical Research, Lupin Pharma; Dr BM Rao, VP and Head Corporate Quality Control, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories; Dr Shubhadeep Sinha, Senior VP – Department of Clinical Development & Medical Affairs (CD&MA), Hetero Labs; Arani Chatterjee, Senior VP, Clinical Research, Aurobindo Pharma; etc were some of the dignitaries at the Pharma Connect Congress this year.

CEO Roundtable: It is one of the marquee events of India Pharma Week. In the third edition, held on December 12, the exclusive, closed door CEO Roundtable was attended by a gathering of eminent CEOs of leading pharma companies to discuss issues pertinent to the industry. The organisers informed that recommendations from the thought leaders will be made into a White Paper Report and presented to policy makers of the nation.

Women Leaders in Pharma: This summit acknowledged the significant and continued contribution of women to the pharma industry. Scheduled for December 13, 2018, it brought together women leaders and gamechangers on a common platform to share their success stories, experiences and knowledge. The third edition of Women in Pharma featured interesting sessions such as Balancing Life and Work’ and ‘Strategies to make our organisations More Diverse and Adopting Inclusive Leadership’ amongst many more.

Tanaz Buhariwalla, Director for IDA Ireland; Rina Chokshi, Global Leader for Regional and Field Marketing, DuPont Nutrition and Health; Bhavna Saxena, IPS Special Commissioner; Jyotsna Ghoshal, Senior Director – Corporate Affairs, MSD; Savindu Kudrigikar, Business Director-South Asia etc; DuPont Nutrition and Health Division (N&H) etc were some of the women leaders at the event.  Thus, it was a convention of Indian and global companies, attended by the who’s who of the pharma industry.