World Disability Day;Film
Show for School Children
keralamonitor.com
December 03, 2001
On the occasion of
World Disability Day, today, a film show of ‘Chhoo Lenge
Aakash’, produced by the Children’s Film society of
India, was held for about two thousand children from MCD schools
in Siri Fort Auditorium. The film is about a girl who overcomes
the disability caused by polio through her indomitable spirit
and the support of her friends and parents. Smt. Vishakha Shailani,
Chairperson of the Education Committee of Municipal Corporation
of Delhi participated in the function.
This film show, which was organized in pursuance of a decision
taken by Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Smt. Sushma
Swaraj, is expected to be the first such show in a series of
shows of films produced by the Children’s Film Society for
Delhi’s school children. Similar initiatives have been taken
in Trivandrum, Pune and Bhopal. The effort is to ensure that
healthy entertainment, which also teaches sound human values,
is available to children.
Exports
of formulations to drive pharmaceutical industry growth over
the next 5 years
keralamonitor.com
Increasing exports of generic formulations (formulations not
protected by patents) from the India would be main driver for
exports in next five years. According to a CRIS INFAC report
on the pharmaceuticals industry, export demand for formulations
is expected to increase at a CAGR of 25 per cent, due to an increase
in the exports to the developed markets.
However, a decline in domestic demand for formulations, due
to a slow-down in demand growth in the acute disease and OTC/OTX
categories, is expected to offset the high rate of export growth.
These categories accounted for over 70 per cent of the total
domestic formulations market in 2000. As a result, CRIS INFAC
forecasts demand for formulations to increase at a CAGR of 10
per cent, to Rs 250.4 billion, during the 2000-01 to 2005-06
period.
The CRIS INFAC report provides detailed information on the
levels of competition and attractiveness of different therapeutic
groups. Market growth in old molecules (launched before 1990)
has slowed down considerably, making it necessary for pharmaceutical
companies to invest in new product launches. However, the ability
of producers to diversify their therapeutic group coverage depends
upon their ability to access a new molecule.
The report assesses 20 leading pharmaceutical companies on
the basis of therapeutic group-wise sales, the age of domestic
portfolio, marketing network, research facilities and products
covered under DPCO (Drug price control order). It analyses the
key characteristics of the pharmaceuticals formulation market,
and their impact on product portfolio and marketing strategies
of producers.
Profit margins of larger pharmaceutical companies (market
share in domestic formulations greater than 1 per cent) are expected
to improve due an increase in the share of generic exports, where
margins are higher than from domestic sales. In addition, the
increased focus on lifestyle segment would also replace lower
margin anti-infective sales in the domestic market.
Margins of medium size players (market share in domestic formulations
lower than 0.5 per cent) are however expected to remain under
pressure. The increased competition in the acute disease would
adversely affect sales growth. In addition, with the expected
changes in the patent laws, the access to new molecules is also
expected to become increasingly difficult for the medium size
players. Hence, medium size companies, which are not market leaders
in any particular therapeutic group, would find it difficult
to sustain their operations beyond 2005, according to CRIS INFAC.
Large players have been focussing on the export market and
research opportunities for the future growth. In order to ensure
sales and profit growth in the domestic market, players are highly
dependent on new products. Till 2005, the players would be able
to launch product through reverse engineering route. However,
after 2005, with the expected changes in the patent laws, access
to new molecules would be difficult.
In the medium term the large pharmaceutical players are expected
to move up the value chain of research. Instead of low-end reverse
engineering and process improvements, these players are expected
to increase their focus on analogue research (developing an analogue
of the proven molecule with better characteristics) and novel
drug delivery systems, where risks are relatively lower. Some
of the players are likely to foray into biotechnology research,
particularly to replace the imports of biotech products. As an
alternative strategy, Indian companies are expected to continue
to enter into licensing agreements with the multinational pharmaceutical
companies, which do not have presence in India.
