CPhI voices the combined opinion of over 100,000 attendees globally and will continue to do so

CPhI India and its co-located event P-MEC, are one of the largest events for the pharma sector in South Asia. This year, CPhI & P-MEC India has a new address: India Expo Centre, New Delhi. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India divulges more details on this year’s editions of these events, their key highlights and the impact they intend to create, in an exclusive interaction with Lakshmipriya Nair

How will CPhI 2018 differ from its previous editions?

With every edition of CPhI, we succeed in bringing about an unparalleled thought leadership, community building and knowledge sharing experience that stands out from any other fair. Consistently every year, we are keen to push the national agenda forward and break new frontiers, while offering our attendees the much celebrated features. By organising such a signature show in India, the CPhI-PMEC under the aegis of the India Pharma Week (IPW) firmly establishes the country as an impressive hub and global destination for the sector.

Within the realm of the IPW, the CEO Roundtable stands out as one of the most distinguished and successful events. For the last two years, the exclusive, closed-door CEO Roundtable has been eminently successful as a strategic gathering of CEOs of the nation’s leading pharma companies who deep dive into thought-provoking discussions on subjects. The recommendations from elite thought leaders results in a White Paper Report that is presented to policy makers and the power corridors of the nation.

This year, we move forward the country’s agenda of making India an uncontested Pharma Supergiant for the first time, to international shores, at CPhI Worldwide, in Madrid where eminent CEOs from the industry will participate in Discussion 1:  ‘The Global Perspective’. This will subsequently be followed by Discussion 2: ‘National Perspective’ at the India Pharma Week in Greater Noida. Both the discussions will form an integral part of the 3rd edition of the CEO Roundtable.

For this edition, we have also added two new segments, under the India Pharma Week: a Paper Presentation — To boost and encourage the excellence of the young minds entering the industry, where a jury will pick top post graduate students to present their thesis on pharma during the Awards night and a Master Class – a feature that will consist of prestigious speakers from top organisations setting stage for knowledge sharing.

Apart from these, some exciting facets at the expo are; Innovation Gallery (an arena where participating pharma companies will be encouraged to showcase innovations on an international platform), and Exhibitor Showcase (a platform where exhibitors demonstrate how their new product launches are going to be effective).

The India Pharma Week will be held from 10-14 December, 2018 (with the CPhI & P-MEC expo being held from 12th to 14th December) at the India Expo Centre, Greater Noida with space of 235,000 sq.m will have a week full of knowledge sharing and networking up its sleeve. The activities will include Pharma Leader’s Golf, Plant Visits, Pre-Connect Congress, India Pharma Awards followed by a Networking Evening, Women Leaders in Pharma and a CEO Roundtable.

The event has shifted base from Mumbai to Delhi. What have been the plans underway to make the transition smooth and hassle-free for the participants and the visitors?

One of the core commitments of UBM worldwide is to put our customers at the center of what we do and attend to their needs in dynamic ways. Keeping this in mind, the move of India Pharma Week – a weeklong celebration, packed with avant-garde events from Mumbai to Greater Noida, NCR will prove truly beneficial and convenient for the vast magnitude of exhibitors and visitors.

Given the stupendous growth of the show, and the infrastructural and travel logistics hitch in Mumbai, we felt it would be extremely beneficial to have a bigger, consolidated venue that offered the entire spectacle under one umbrella. Besides, the Delhi-NCR region has become the heart of India for holding some of the biggest events in the country. Being in close geographical proximity to policy makers, consulates and government bodies, the show is poised to enhance the industry’s community building efforts.

To smoothly incorporate the shift with due deliberations with our key long-term customers and buyers, we announced the move several months prior as we were deeply committed to making a grand success of the first CPhI and P-MEC show in the Delhi-NCR region. This also provided stakeholders more time to firm up their plans for the event. During the show, we will also be providing bus shuttle services from in and around Delhi, NCR to the venue for hassle free commute for visitors and exhibitors. We also have dedicated freight forwarding companies who cater to our exhibitors requirements with regards to releasing their machinery from customs, transporting, packing, unpacking, setting up their products / machinery at their booths. In addition to this, the show’s website also offers a pre-registration link which is free of cost and will help visitors save time and money while attending the show.

As one of the top pharmerging markets, India’s growth potential in this sector is huge. How is CPhI India transforming to help India Pharma Inc unleash its true potential and optimise the growth opportunities?

The Indian pharma economy has been lauded for its rapid growth in the recent decades and is expected to reach $100 billion by 2025. The industry clearly owes its success to its bold, ambitious approach, history of innovation and an ability to constantly adapt to the global market.

Currently, the Indian pharma sector accounts for about 3.1-3.6 per cent of the global pharmaceutical industry in value terms and 10 per cent in volume terms. The government has set a clear path for the future of the pharma industry and with the industry witnessing a market growth of 12.8 per cent due to an increase in consumer spending, rapid urbanisation, and increase in healthcare insurance, the government is keen on reducing costs and healthcare expenses. Despite this, the industry is at a very crucial juncture in its growth trajectory. Certain challenges continue to surround it such as, shortage of highly skilled talent, consumer approval process, sub-optimal infrastructure and lack of funding avenues to name a few.
To overcome these challenges and optimise opportunities, shows like CPhI & P-MEC India under the aegis of IPW help companies pass the hurdle. A convention of Indian and global companies, CPhI & P-MEC India is a comprehensive industry platform for every company that deals with pharma in India. The mammoth exposition strongly reflects and enhances the value of the prosperous pharma industry while concurrently aiding the industry with collective solutions to its diverse challenges. The event has become South Asia’s leading pharma meeting place, covering every step of the supply chain from drug discovery to finished dosage. Apart from its regular features, this year, the event will lay emphasis on handpicking young talent, conducting knowledge sharing sessions comprising eminent industry stalwarts and will produce a special White Paper Report on the Challenges of the Sector that will be prepared based on the recommendations of the top CEOs of pharma companies and presented to the Prime Minister’s Office. Such different facets of the show aim to synergise with key governmental initiatives like Make in India, Start Up India, Skill India, and will act as a catalyst to raise the bar further for the nation as a global engine for the sector.

What does the future hold for this industry event? How is it poised to evolve with the shifts that the pharma industry is undergoing?

The pharma industry is no longer being rewarded for incremental innovation, me-too products and selling the most pills. Companies will need to demonstrate that their brand adds value to patients and they will have to offer a package of products and health services that the market n