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he Indian pharmaceutical Arjun Rao
industry is metamorphosing. general manager, Shree Bhagwati Pharma
Like a butterfly emerging
from its cocoon, the There is tremendous scope for machinery
pharmaceutical industry is also manufacturers to exploit the potential by
shedding its previous image of being providing the necessary machinery with
merely a generic drug production
proper design, ease of user application, simple
market. While generics continue to
play a major part in the industry’s maintenance and also validation protocol for
success, several companies have started the new equipment.
down the long road of drug discovery
and branded product development.
The Indian pharmaceutical industry licensing policies turned out to be for machinery manufacturers to
presents both a competitive threat and a blessing in disguise, as India’s own exploit the potential by providing
partnership opportunities owing to its engineering acumen emerged to the necessary machinery with proper
low-cost manufacturing, high-quality manufacture pharma machinery at design, ease of user application, simple
research & manufacturing facilities and cost-effective rates. maintenance and also validation
highly skilled personnel. The industry has come a long way protocol for the new equipment.
According to recent industry from being an import-dependent This is essential for pharmaceutical
reports, while there are around sector in the 60s and 70s to being an companies. The Indian pharmaceutical
270 large R&D-based pharmaceutical industry with an annual growth rate of machinery industry is currently
companies in India – including 14-17 per cent. According to the Indian catering to the segments of tableting,
multinationals, government-owned Pharma Machinery Manufacturers capsulation, powder processing,
and private companies – there are also Association (IPMMA), there are material handling, R&D equipment
around 5,600 small licensed generics more than 800 units manufacturing and instrumentation, coating, bulk
manufacturers. However, in reality, pharmaceutical machinery comprising drug plant installation, etc,” says
only around 3,000 companies small, medium and large-scale Arjun Rao, general manager, Shree
are involved in pharmaceutical enterprises in India. With an estimated Bhagwati Pharma. Evidently, Indian
production. Most small firms do not turnover of Rs 2,000 crore, around pharmaceutical machines, which
have their own production facilities, 40 per cent is being exported to more have already made a mark in the
and operate using the spare capacity than 80 countries around the world domestic market, have also started
of other drug manufacturers. including the US, the UK and other making considerable inroads into the
Moreover, the advent of European countries. international market. The growing
pharmaceutical product patent “In India, there are around acceptance of Indian machines in
recognition in January 2005 changed 17,000 pharmaceutical companies. foreign countries is illustrative of
the ground rules for Indian companies. Hence, there is tremendous scope this trend.
R&D departments are moving away
from reverse engineering in favour of
developing novel drug delivery systems
and discovery research. However, this
revolution needs constant support
of machine manufacturers, who
are matching the steps of pharma
manufacturers in providing world-class
engineering products.