The foremost challenge for any pharma company with biotech divisions or units in the Asian region is bringing out the product. We do not have too many products. However, I have been convinced that at least some Indian companies will do it.
We at Zydus Cadila have a vision of moving from biogenerics to innovation-driven company. In Asia people work in hierarchy. On the contrary, in Europe and the US, people work in teams. Hence the team spirit needs to be developed here in Asia. I am sure the scientific community will learn these things very quickly. I feel a good innovator does not necessarily mean good obedient researcher.
The industry in the next five years will be interesting and fascinating. On one side there are big pharmas in Europe and the US. They have huge muscle power with a lot of money. We have in Asia, smaller companies coming up and growing at a faster pace. I feel the growth will be in Asia and not in the US and Europe. Arriving to that stage is a difficult challenge. The companies from West will try to grab or acquire companies in the East if they feel they prove to be beneficial.
However, some companies, mainly from India, are acquiring companies in Europe and the US. The innovation strengths are still in favor of companies from West. I hope this will change soon. That is why I am in India for the last one year to change that.
For me, India and China are superpowers and how fast they scale up has to be seen. I am optimistic about the things happening in Asia. As per the vision statement of Zydus Cadila, the company wants to be a research-based pharmaceutical company by 2020.
© BioSpectrum Bureau
