We launched our report “Medicines in India“, followed by a panel discussion. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of three main aspects of the pharmaceutical industry in India accessibility, affordability and quality­ and makes policy recommendations to reform the sector.

Abstract:
The financial burden of medicines is huge, and is primarily borne by households themselves in India. Many new policies which have been launched in this domain attempt to make medicines more affordable and accessible. This report critically analyses i) the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Pariyojna, in terms of its spatial reach and factors which are responsible for setting up of new stores across the country;  ii) the quality of medicines in India, primarily focusing on the origin of substandard or spurious drugs from manufacturing sites across the nation; and iii) the latest price control order which brought 347 drugs under regulation and whether that has kept pace with the changing disease burden faced by our country. The report uses data shared by Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI), publicly available data on drug alerts issued by various state FDAs, and government reports in this sector and makes targeted recommendations to transform this sector in India.

Panelists:

Chief Guest – Dr. Vinod K. Paul is Member, NITI Aayog and leads the Health and Nutrition verticals there. He has played a pivotal role in formulating the POSHAN Abhiyaan and the Ayushman Bharat initiative. Dr. Paul is an internationally renowned paediatrician, academic, medical researcher and public health exponent. 

Dr. Sangita Reddy is Joint Managing Director at Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited. She has led the creation of IT enabled patient centric operation across the Apollo footprint. Dr. Reddy has been instrumental in growing the group’s retail healthcare foray and has steered Apollo’s thrust on research, innovation, and healthcare initiatives.

Murali Neelakantan is Principal, amicus. Previously, he was the Executive Director & Global General Counsel at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals where he led legal and compliance functions for the organisation globally. He has more than 20 years of international experience on advising companies in a wide variety of sectors. He was also the Global General Counsel at Cipla.