India may not become a true innovation hub in five years, but could get there over the next decade or more.
Photograph: Yves Herman/Reuters
Key Points
- ‘Pharma must move quickly from scale to substance’.
- ‘The industry had proved its strength in manufacturing’
- ‘Without AI, continuity of operations will be difficult’
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a side conversation for Indian pharma.
It is fast becoming central to how drugs will be discovered, made, and supplied.
Along with that shift comes a sharper focus on innovation, on the one hand, and quality and trust, on the other.
Can Indian pharma become a global innovation force?
Industry leaders are of the view the choices companies make now will decide whether Indian pharma remains a low-cost manufacturing base or becomes a global innovation force by 2047.
That message came through at the 11th “Global Pharmaceutical Quality Summit”, organised by the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), where executives spoke about what must change as technology reshapes the sector.
Sharvil Patel, managing director, Zydus Lifesciences, and president, IPA, put AI at the centre of the future road map.
“AI cannot run as pilots. Pilots become expensive demos,” he said, arguing that technology had to be built into the core of organisations from day one.
Pharma cos must move quickly from scale to substance
Patel said traditional pharma companies might no longer be the only ones developing medicines. Technology firms, he said, could move faster because they control large parts of the data and digital ecosystem.
“They may discover products faster than us — and possibly better,” Patel said, adding that AI was becoming democratised and success would depend on who used it most effectively.
Against that backdrop, leaders said Indian pharma must move quickly from scale to substance.
Dilip Shanghvi, executive chairman, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, said the industry had proved its strength in manufacturing.
Indian firms now supply a large share of global generics
Indian companies now supply a large share of global generics, and customer confidence has improved steadily. The next challenge, he said, is innovation.
‘Companies are starting to invest in their own innovation capabilities,” Shanghvi noted, but added that progress remained uneven.
“Generics are about many small products. Innovation is about a few very big bets,” he said. Speed to market, he stressed, will matter more than cost in the next phase.
Trust, however, remains the foundation.
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Madan Mohan Reddy, whole-time director, Aurobindo Pharma, said global trust, especially with regulators, had to be constantly earned.
“We have built a good reputation, but sustaining global trust is critical,” he said, pointing to gaps in quality culture.
“Automation alone will not solve the problem. Reddy said AI would soon be unavoidable.
“Without AI, continuity of operations will be difficult,” he said, noting that regulators now expected deeper data visibility and stronger controls.
“Manufacturing, he argued, must become fully digital, with real-time analytics replacing manual, after-the-fact reviews.
“With hundreds of plants and a massive workforce, agility is harder to maintain.”
Shanghvi said: “If we don’t equip our people for the future, we are doing a disservice to them”, stressing that AI should support human judgement rather than replace it.
Technology, he added, can also strengthen compliance if companies follow a simple rule: Do what they document, and document what they actually do.
Nilesh Gupta, managing director, Lupin, said innovation in India was at an early stage.
“One success story is not enough; we need many,” Gupta said.
While generics have created strong scientific and manufacturing capabilities, innovation needs patience, capital, and long-term commitment, according to him.
India, he said, may not become a true innovation hub in five years, but could get there over the next decade or more.
