Indian pharma warned over quality, exports

Competition is growing for Indian drug exports, and local firms stillunder domestic protection have just a few years left to establish a brand equity for quality and reliability, with the 10-year patent transition period due to end in four years, D G Shah, chief executive of Vision Consulting Group, has warned.

Moreover, India's failure to forge alliances for export markets has opened it up to competition from China, South Korea, Israel and South Africa, which will put pressure on Indian companies in both regulated and non-regulated markets, said Mr Shah, who is secretary-general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance and a former director of Pfizer.

Companies reporting impressive organic growth in the last three years have essentially relied on the rapid introduction of new products, with some launching one a week, he said, but added that this rate is unlikely to continue under the new product patent regime, and may slow down growth.