2021 saw greater collaboration among pharma, govt, academia: Sudarshan Jain

'Diversified supply chain is a fundamental need', said Jain

This was a landmark year for the Indian pharma sector, which churned out new vaccines, collaborated for new drugs and ramped up supplies of key products. Sudarshan Jain, secretary general, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), speaks to Sohini Das about the trends that marked 2021 and what lies ahead for the Indian drug industry. Edited excerpts.

What were the key trends that dominated the Indian pharma industry in 2021?

Every adversity offers opportunity. The Covid-19 pandemic brought healthcare to the centre-stage. One big trend in 2021 was collaboration — among government, in­d­ustry and academia. Bureaucrats were most solution-oriented, (and focused on)