Introducing, sustaining and assessing a new patent regime is of course a political process, but it inevitably alters present manufacturing techniques or threatens to alter existing relationships. The resulting question is how to navigate the transition. Entrepreneurs have to obviously invent new methods of doing business. They have to rebuild their competencies by fostering collaboration with whomsoever required, and that is what this article analyzes.
In the recent past, the Indian pharmaceutical companies have been trying to assert their presence in the global markets. Quite a few Indian pharma companies have made overseas acquisitions: Wockhardt acquired CP Pharmaceuticals in the UK; Ranbaxy acquired RPG Aventis in France and Zydus Cadila has finalized its acquisition plans for Alpharma SAS of France. On the other hand, we also see many major pharma multinationals looking at India for striking profitable partnerships with Indian companies in research and drug development. As we inch forward towards a post- World Trade Organization (WTO) scenario, it is feared that many drastic changes are likely to occur in the Indian pharma sector. mergers and acquisitions will become the order of the day; multinationals, obviously, will be the major players in mergers and acquisitions; small and mid-cap pharma companies will become extinct and it will not be a surprise if, in the course of time, multinationals gain control over the Indian pharma industry. Against this backdrop, the present article attempts to take a critical look at some of the emerging issues in the Indian pharma industry and the strategies that need to be considered by the domestic pharmaceutical companies to meet these challenges and capitalize on the new-found opportunities. |
