The Second Healthcare & Pharma Summit organised by the students of the Healthcare Club, ISB, in association with the Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI) was on "Indian Healthcare Industry- Evolving Paradigms".

The summit proposed to address the challenges and compile possible cures in the Indian Pharma Industry. Intellectual Property Rights Management, Health Insurance, innovations in Rural Health, Medical Tourism and positing the Indian Pharma industry in the global scenario were some of topics tackled.

Dean Rao in his welcome address expressed the ISB's willingness to contribute to the public health scenario in India. He said that the institute would initiate health awareness programmes in the future, and facilitate an equitable and professional health care system for the masses.

Ranjit Shahani, VC and MD Novartis India Ltd, and President (OPPI), in his keynote said, "Health care is not a paradox but a challenge". The main obstacle that the pharma industry faced, according to him, was the inability to communicate its value proposition. "The challenge is to build on our corporate reputation, to foster responsibility and reliability and to win public confidence." Shahani stressed that research in the pharma industry is a long process which involves clinical trials, safety aspects etc. Moreover, it is an expensive proposition. This meant that cost per patient is also on the rise. The challenge that the industry must take on full front is to improve the quality of life while building on innovative treatments. Shahani said that the healthcare infrastructure scenario in the country is insufficient, and availability of drugs is alarmingly low specially in the rural sectors. A public private partnership, according to him, is essential to provide healthcare to Below-Poverty-Line families in India. While India is poised to be one of the top 10 pharma players in the world, Shahani ironically pointed out to the high mortality rates and cases of night blindness in rural India. While India boasts of having the lowest priced medicine, much of the benefits are inaccessible.

The discussion then moved on to talk about how intellectual property can be harnessed for sustainable competitive growth. "The pharma industry has taken globalisation as an opportunity and not as a threat," voiced Ajit Dangi Director General, OPPI. He said that to sustain the dynamic growth that the pharma industry is witnessing, an environment that fosters innovation is required. Here comes in Intellectual Property which comprises of trademarks, copyrights, traditional knowledge, design rights etc. Dangi pointed out that in a country like India which is a biodiversity hub, it is essential to balance national interest, healthcare issues, availability and medicinal prices in order to use IP as an aggressive commercial weapon. Pointing out to the importance of IPR training courses he said that institutes like ISB can go a long way to institutionalize it. "IP should be an integral part of business strategy and not just a legal or R & D issue. Latent IP of a company can help it take leadership positions and help in competition," said Dangi.

Unlike other industries, Pharmaceutical industry has been able to weather the wave of globalization primarily because it managed and protected its IP well. He believes that the future growth of an industry or a company depends on: