In a recession prone economy, the Pharmaceutical industry often comes as a breeze as it is one of the few that generally go un-affected.

Mr. Sajesh Nair, a goal oriented Business Development Executive with outstanding progressive experience in International Pharmaceutical portfolio development, was at PROTON to share his knowledge on the nitty-gritty of the scope of marketing in the Pharmaceutical sector.

Pharmaceutical industry is worth a whopping $733 billion globally and India constitutes a mere 2% of the market. The reason behind this lag, as mentioned by Mr. Nair, is the lack of "molecule development" in India. Blisters are imported and their generic volume is manufactured with maximum medical equivalence and therefore a blister that costs $10 in U.S. can be bought at a drastically cheap rate in India. The global sales figure of one single brand Lipitor (Pfizer) is at par with the total turnover of Indian industry.

Pharmaceutical industry involves a lot of technicalities but Mr. Nair effectively simplified the concept of the Drug Department Process which is a lengthy and thorough process that takes close to 12 years. Research & Development, various tests, authentication, genetic testing, NDA were explained at length.

Another interesting part was the SWOT analysis which included country identification, importer/distributor search, importer, distributor identification, communication, negotiation and agreement sign, dossier submission & registration, product launch & marketing. Country embassies plays an important part in the start-up of a pharmaceutical company, they are always ready to help and co-operate. Also, the trade promotion council, references and contacts are important in the process.

A noteworthy topic focused by Mr. Nair was the selling process which was also a very interesting lesson for those who wish to pursue marketing as a specialization. Preliminary screening, in-depth screening, final selection, direct experience were the areas that were concentrated under the selling process.

Expert Guest Lecture Series (EGLS) provides a very specific dissemination of knowledge. These sessions are a boon for Protons since it gives an arena to explore subjects that cannot be covered under the course curriculum. The event was a great success because students could extract the maximum benefit out of it and probably utilize it to expand their horizons!