Aug

14

India’s Biopharma Surges on Outsourcing Boom

Filed Under Healthcare, India Business | Leave a Comment

A combination of a weakened currency and an urgent need to cut costs at big pharma companies is driving a surge of drug development and manufacturing business for India.

The Wall Street Journal says bad times in Big Pharma are spurring a boom for operators in India as well as China. And about the only near-term switch that could blunt the wave would be a decision to engineer a more valuable rupee.

But one analyst cautions that many Indian developers are finding that the transition from manufacturing generic drugs to devising new therapies can be hard.

“Two years ago, we thought Reddy would do it,” said Sandeep Shenoy, a strategist at PINC Capital. “Three years back, we thought Cipla might do it. Every one of them has had problems.”

Here’s the WSJ article .

Aug

8

India Now 2nd-largest Wireless Market after China

Filed Under Emerging Sectors, India Business, India vs China, Mobile Telecom | Leave a Comment

The number of wireless subscribers in India has reached 250 million, making India the second-largest wireless market in the world, says a World Bank study titled: The Role of Mobile Phones in Sustainable Rural Poverty Reduction.

Authored by Asheeta Bhavnani, Rowena Won-Wai Chiu, Subramaniam Janakiram and Peter Silarszky, the study says India is now second only to China, with tele-density already surpassing the 25 per cent mark.

Currently, China is adding about 6-7 million new subscribers per month, India about 8-9 million and the US about 2-3 million, it notes.

The private sector is also active in India and there are a number of telecommunication companies providing mobile telephone services who have to compete for market share and meet consumer expectations. Mobile telephony has grown rapidly in India, especially during the last three years.

The study states that mobile telephony has a positive impact on economic welfare by generating GDP; job generation (both in the mobile industry and the wider economy); productivity increases; and taxation revenue with mobile operators usually being a sizeable contributor.

For more details, click here.