Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Soar high, fly high!






Above image from here.

If you want to soar in life, you must first love to FLY (First Love Yourself)! – Mark Sterling

Success and wish to progress is a delightful subject to ponder on… because there are no precise answers.  There is no perfect formula or factor to deliver the intended situation of success… it is situational application of certain factors.  Timing should be right!  An attempt is made below to reflect on factors that will help people fly high!!

Self-esteem (unconditional self love) is an important foundation attribute to achieve personal success.  Self-esteem makes a person confident (fearless), and he is able to manage circumstances and people effectively.  This ability to communicate without fear is a key trait for success.  In various management situations, one has to manage people with complete absence of fear.  Confidence is infectious, when a person is confident - he gives confidence to his people, and this establishes leadership.  Instilling confidence in others is not possible by inconfident leaders.  Hence, confident behavior springing out of self-esteem is vital for success and progress.

Focus is the next requirement for a successful life.  Focus is the reaction by a person to the acceptance of a purpose.  For example, when a field salesperson, is given a sales target, he is first given confidence by his leaders.  This makes the field salesperson accept the sales target wholeheartedly.  This target becomes the purpose.  The next obvious step is that the field salesperson starts focusing on the sales target.   Concentration or focus is the absence of distraction.

It is not the intelligent of the species that survives; it is the most adaptable of the species that survives!! – Charles Darwin.  Adaptability means learning new ways and adjusting to the situation.  This learning attitude creates survival and progress.  Learning means gaining new theoretical and practical knowledge, and new skill sets.  Learning helps add value and improve things for the better.

Practice makes a man perfect!  Being talented, skilled and knowledgeable alone are not sufficient qualities.  One has to have the inner drive to overcome inertia and look to apply the skill sets continuously.  Only then will proficiency levels increase.  Regular practice makes a person proficient, and proficiency helps make a person successful in his career.

Getting people co-operation!  Team play is the order of the day.  Most things are achieved by teams.  Hence, the ability of people to work in co-ordinated manner has greater value in today’s world.  Team working requires mutual trust, understanding, patience, co-operative spirit and knowledge sharing.  Team leaders need to inspire these elements and make team mates work enthusiastically towards the preset goals.  It is impossible for an individual or organization to soar high without good team working.  Hence, in the contemporary world of business, team play and team leadership are important requirements.

Perseverance is a de rigueur quality for contemporary success.  A customer has more choices today, than he can imagine.  To get customer engagement one has to persevere to a greater extent.  There has to be a systemic engagement strategy.  This involves team working.  A salesperson has to follow-up with fellow team members, colleagues and customer to ensure a sale and customer delight.  Perseverance and patience are key traits to succeed and fly high.

“Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny.” – Tryon Edwards

Change comes from our thinking.  Our thoughts are at the root of change process.  As we think, so we become!  If we constantly think of the purpose or mission, our actions will follow through.  Becoming one with the mission is key to success.  Dedication to the mission will help, in all preparation activities, and will result in hard working.  A mission dedicated person, will never shirk responsibility, passing the buck will never occur to him.  A problem solving attitude will come naturally to such an individual.  In modern resurgent India, the youth brigade has humongous opportunity, to build interesting careers.  However, to soar high, an open mind is required, change is the new order.  

End quote:

“Don't allow the fear of falling stop you from pursuing your dream. Prepare. Practice. Pray. Jump! It's through the fall that you'll realize you can also fly.”
― Yvonne Pierre

My well received talk at Christ University, Bangalore (6.8.15)



India: Pharmacy of the world

On 6.8.15 I had the good fortune to give a talk to B Sc students of Christ University, Bangalore. Christ University, Bangalore, is one of the best in India, dedicated Fathers, faculty and staff are aiming to make this university, India’s best and world-class.  Kudos to the sagacious management of Christ University  for making a world-class university with a lively campus, mind-bogglingly splendid infrastructure and a highly motivating atmosphere for learners and teachers. 

Here are some interesting snaps of my participation (giving the 45 minute lecture with a powerpoint to strengthen the message).


During the talk, I elaborated on the following points:

Bright prospects in Indian Pharmaceutical Industry

‘It is a proud and successful industry in India today, exporting medicines to 220 countries in the world.  Over 60% of vaccines are produced in India.  There was nothing prior to Independence.  In the next ten years the pharma sector is expected to grow five times from present Rs. 2.00 lakh crore level’.
- Dr. Subburaj, Secretary, Pharmaceuticals – Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers (IDMA Bulletin, 22 to 30 March 2015, page no. 36

We are talking of an industry, which has approximately, Rs. 1.00 lakh crores sales per annum in domestic market and exports Rs. 1.00 lakh crores worth of products, making the total to approx. Rs. 2.00 lakh crores/annum. 

By 2020, the total worth of business that the Indian pharmaceutical industry is expected to produce is Rs. 10.00 lakh crores, this future growth indicates the excellent business and job prospects, for aspirants and people in the industry.


        Friends, we are talking of an industry which provides anti-AIDS drugs at 1 dollar a day… Cipla has saved 1 crore lives in Africa through their affordable anti -AIDS medicines: India makes 92% of anti-AIDS medications sold world-wide
        Today, according to estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO), every third child in the globe — who is vaccinated through its programme — is protected through a vaccine manufactured in India. No small achievement for a country where the industry forever seeks to import technology
        Every fifth tablet, capsule and injectable generic drug being used in the world is manufactured in India, according to India’s past Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad
        Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the world body that helps needy countries, dubs India the ‘global pharmacy of the world’

With the above sparkling opener points, I was able to attract the wholesome attention of attendees and then I went onto elaborate points as mentioned below (with several anecdotes and comments):

The vibrant pharmaceutical industry in India can be divided into three main components: APIs (bulk drugs), finished formulations (branded and unbranded) including vaccines and biosimilars.  (The term Biopharma includes biosimilars and other products such as vaccines, sera etc).

This numbers of above components:


  •  As per AIOCD AWACS June 2015 MAT value: the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry is Rs. 90085 crores (July 2014 to June 2015), growth of 14.3%
  • India exported $15.2 billion or Rs 94,275 crore of pharmaceutical products in 2014-15, with European Union accounting for a fifth or $3 billion, as per Appaji of Pharmaexcil
  • The Pharmaceutical industry in India is the world's third-largest in terms of volume and stands 14th in terms of value
  •  India is among the top six global pharmaceutical producers in the world
  •  The country’s pharmaceutical industry accounts for about 1.4 per cent of the global pharmaceutical industry in value terms and 10 per cent in volume terms
  •  India’s pharma sales are expected to reach US$ 27 billion by 2016

What are Indian pharmaceutical companies doing? 
        Focus is on me-too products
        Branded generics
        Me-too biopharma (including biosimilar) products (using rDNA technology) (Eg., MAB or Monoclonal Antibody business)
        Bulk drugs
        Herbal extracts and herbal formulations (including Ayurvedic)
        Vaccines
        Importing and marketing (contract marketing)
        CRAMS: Contract Research and Manufacturing Services; NDDS (Novel Drug Delivery System) research and new product research to some extent 
        Exports worldwide
        Veterinary products
        Food supplements/nutrition products/nutraceuticals

Top 20 pharma companies


         Indian pharmaceutical industry is estimated to grow at 20 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next five years, as per India Ratings, a Fitch Group company
        The Indian pharma market size is expected to grow to US$ 85 billion by 2020
     Presently there are 10,500 manufacturing units and over 3,000 pharma companies in India, growing at an exceptional rate
        India has about 1,400 WHO GMP approved manufacturing units
        India has been accredited with approximately 1,105 CEPs, more than 950 TGA approvals and 584 sites approved by the USFDA
   Globally more than 90 per cent of formulations approvals for Anti-retroviral (ARVs), Anti-tubercular & Anti-malarial (WHO pre-qualified) have been granted to India
       Manufacturing costs in India are approximately 35-40 per cent of those in the US due to low installation and manufacturing costs
        India accounts for 36.9 per cent (3,411) of the 9,296 Drug Master Files (DMFs) filed with the USA, which is the highest outside of the USA (as on December 31, 2013)
        Higher spending on R&D, owing to products patents have made India a major destination for generic drug manufacturing
      Cipla has saved 1 crore lives in Africa through their affordable anti -AIDS medicines: India makes 92% of anti-AIDS medications sold world-wide
        Lupin is the 5th largest generic pharma company in US prescription market; fastest growing in Japan and S Africa; global leader in anti TB bulk drugs and formulations
       Today, according to the estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO), every third child in the globe — who is vaccinated through its programme — is protected through a vaccine manufactured in India. No small achievement for a country where the industry forever seeks to import technology
        Every fifth tablet, capsule and injectable generic drug being used in the world is manufactured in India, according to India’s Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad
      Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the world body that helps needy countries, dubs India the ‘global pharmacy of the world’
        The global pharmaceuticals market is worth US$300 billion a year, a figure expected to rise to US$400 billion within three years
       The 10 largest drugs companies control over one-third of this market, several with sales of more than US$10 billion a year and profit margins of about 30%
        The cost of AIDS treatment — a whopping $10,000 a year — dropped by more than 30 times to just $300 per year simply because ‘affordable excellence’ was part of the DNA of Indian researchers
      Cipla of Mumbai says it has developed its own methods for producing the three drugs — stavudine, lamivudine and nevirapine — thereby avoiding the process patents owned by the major manufacturers in India
        The company says it will supply a combination of the drugs to the French charity Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) for $350 a year per patient, on condition that the organization provides the treatment free to patients
       Approximately 70 per cent of the patients in developing countries, receive Indian medicines through NGOs like The Clinton Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, the UNCTAD etc
      Biologics are drugs whose active ingredients are sourced from living organisms so these products are based on proteins, genes, etc, unlike normal small-molecule drugs where the active ingredient is a chemical
      Biosimilar sales grew 20% annually to Rs 2,000 crore or approximately 2.5% of overall market sales at the end of November 2014. Sales margins on biosimilar drugs range from 20% to 80%
       In April 2013, Cipla started selling a biosimilar of the rheumatoid arthritis drug Enbrel with a launch price of $100. The price of the drug from the innovator, Amgen, was $133.
     Biocon’s CANMab, a breast cancer therapy that is a generic of Roche’s Herceptin, was launched in February 2014 with a 25% discount to the innovator price
        Bulk Drug Industry is the backbone of the self-reliant Pharmaceutical industry in India
        The capital investment in the pharma industry is about Rs.35,000 crores
        Today 90% of the domestic bulk drugs requirement is met by the Indian industry, itself
        The Bulk Drug industry contributed about Rs. 48,000 Crores worth of exports, during the year 2010-2011 which is growing by over 15%-20% every year
        Over 45% of the world's bulk drug requirement is met by India
        The Rs 11,086-crore Lupin Ltd, the largest producer of Lisinopril in the world, used in the treatment of high blood pressure and sold to around 30 pharma companies, both in India and overseas
        It makes Lisinopril in both bulk drug and finished drug form as well as Lisinopril formulations. Last year, Lupin produced 105 tonnes per annum of Lisinopril API, and this year is ramping it up to 120 tonnes
        Indian bulk drug industry to grow to US$ 17 billion by 2014
The Indian Bulk Drug industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21% to reach US$16.91 billion by 2013-14 as per this study
         Cygnus estimates the size of the Indian bulk drug industry for 2009-10 at US$ 11.54 billion, out of which exports contribute about US$ 7.5 billion, constituting 65% of the industry
         The Indian Contract Manufacturing market stood at US$986m in 2009 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 41.7% to reach US$5.63 billion by 2014.
        “About 1/3rd of global vaccines are manufactured in Hyderabad
         Hyderabad is already an established bulk drug hub of the country and about 40 per cent of country’s pharmaceutical products are manufactured in Hyderabad”
        Biopharma is the largest sector contributing about 62 per cent of the total revenue, with revenue generation to the tune of over Rs 12,600 crore (US$ 2.03 billion)
        The bio-pharma sector comprises vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics
        India produces 40-70 per cent of the WHO demand for DPT & BCG and 90 per cent of measles vaccine
        A recent report estimates that the vaccine production sector will shoot to an estimated $871 million by 2016, a sizable jump from the 2011 value of the sector, which sat at $350 million
        Of course, India will need to contend with another growing vaccines powerhouse in the coming years: China
        The country is home to 12 major vaccine manufacturing facilities and exports to 150 countries
        Much of India's vaccines market depends on exports; they made up 65% of the market last year (2012 statistics)
        Serum Institute of India Ltd., India's No. 1 Biotech Company and the World's Largest Vaccine Manufacturer (by volume, more than 1.3 billion doses) which includes Polio vaccine
        Serum Inst. is one of the largest suppliers of vaccines to over a 140 countries and  it is estimated that about 65% of the children in the world receive at least one vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India Ltd
        It is estimated the current Indian vaccine market is around $900 million, with a potential to touch $4.6 billion by 2017
        As per 'Pharma Vision 2020', the Government of India aims to make India a global leader in end-to-end drug manufacturing
        Manufacturing costs in India are approximately 35-40 per cent of those in the US due to low installation and manufacturing costs
        Pharmaceutical exports from India have grown at a CAGR of 21 per cent over the last decade
        Indian vaccines are exported to 150 countries
        The projected human resource requirement in the Indian pharma sector is estimated to be about 21,50,000 by 2020


TAKE HOME MESSAGE

        Pharmaceutical industry is presently approx. Rs. 2.00 lakh crores per annum and will reach Rs. 10 lakh crores by 2020
        Good scope in HRD, Accounts/Finance, Manufacturing (QA, QC, Production, R & D…), Regulatory and Marketing
        Futuristic… scope for entrepreneurial work (eg., PCD business)
        Knowledge based profession
        Global

Thanks to Dr. Ganesh Gaekwadji, Prof. of Zoology, Christ University, Bangalore for organizing 
above speaking opportunity, due thanks to Dr. Anthony, Prof.... at Christ University, Bangalore 
- please do scroll down and read all other posts!