Innovation is a necessity, not a choice: Pharma leaders at Lupin book launch event

At a panel discussion on the sidelines of the book launch, Made In India The Story of Desh Bandhu Gupta, Lupin and Indian Pharma by Manish Sabharwal, some of India’s most influential pharma leaders reflected on why innovation remains the industry’s toughest frontier.

YK Hamied, the architect of India’s generics revolution, reiterated that his lifelong fight was never against patents, but against monopolies. From pushing for the Indian Patent Act to supplying HIV/AIDS drugs at $300 a year when global prices stood at $20,000, Hamied argued that access and affordability defined India’s pharma ethos.

But while generics are well understood, the bottleneck for Indian innovation, he stressed, is the acceptability of Indian drugs amongst the medical community.

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Several speakers acknowledged that India’s innovation ecosystem is still uneven, especially when compared to China. GV Prasad noted that Indian pharma underestimated China for years, seeing it merely as a low-cost supplier rather than a serious innovation force.

Today, China’s more evolved regulatory pathways and strong state support have helped it move rapidly up the value chain.

Dilip Shanghvi pointed out that Sun Pharma’s own journey — from a single psychiatric drug and one medical representative to a generic and growing innovative powerhouse — stressed that innovation is no longer optional but essential for Indian pharma growth, even if it means committing large sums with uncertain outcomes.

Vinita Gupta of Lupin highlighted that while 97% of India’s market remains off-patent generics, segments like biosimilars already demand branding and credibility. She stressed that the future of Indian pharma lies in innovation in the next decade, with steps such as encouraging India-focused innovation and lower-cost drug development.

The panel agreed that India has a real opportunity over the next decade, leveraging its patient base for clinical trials and focusing on India-relevant innovation. But success, they said, will depend on regulatory support, selective r and d focused acquisitions, and — most critically — early wins that build confidence among doctors, investors and companies alike.