T K Roy, Vice President (Marketing), Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, the Rs 500-crore speciality pharmaceutical company has been ranked fifth in domestic prescription sales in the country. It was recently ranked first among all pharma companies and eighth among India’s top value creators over a five-year period by the international consulting firm, Boston Consulting Group. indiamarkets spoke to  T K Roy, Vice President (Marketing), Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd at launch of its version of the drug Sildenafil Citrate called Edegra, an oral therapy drug for men with erectile dysfunction.

indiamarkets: How different is the launch of ‘Edegra’, compared to the launch of any other formulation?
Roy: Compared to the launch of any other product, we have done solid groundwork, before the launch of this drug. Unlike other diseases, no data on Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is available. We conducted a survey to identify target customers. What the market is for this drug is not clear yet. Through the survey we also found that psychiatrists, dermatologists and urologists are already treating patients having fertility problems.

Erectile dysfunction per se is a disorder, which has lot of myths and misunderstanding. People don’t come forward to express their problem. Sun Pharma went a way ahead of others in educating the doctors and patients about Erectile Dysfunction and Edegra. Over the past year, we have conducted as many as 70 symposia for medical practitioners ranging from psychiatrists and urologists to sexologists and endocrinologists. Our aim is to educate people and motivate them to consult specialists and take proper guidance before embarking on a drug for ED to get maximum benefit. Parallel to the launch of the Edegra drug, we are also launching an educative website www.edegra.com.

indiamarkets: What are the major problems the Indian pharmaceutical industry faces today?
Roy: Firstly, we don’t have the right infrastructure to get into R&D activity. What we lack is resources. Secondly, we find that there is a vast difference in the pricing of the drug in the Indian market when compared with that of the US. Pricing in India should be looked at from the economy point of view. By 2005, we will see a dramatic jump in prices.

indiamarkets: Please tell us about your R&D work.
Roy:  Sun Pharma has already started the groundwork for basic research. We have three R&D centres with a team of 190 scientists. Sun Pharma has invested Rs 60 crore so far towards the R&D activities. A further investment of Rs 40 crore is earmarked for drug discovery research in the net 18 months.

We have started the process of reverse engineering, wherein we identify compounds and study its molecular structure. We then study the specific action of each structure and study the possibility of using the molecule for curing diseases. By the end of 2005, Sun will possibly come out with new molecules to cure various diseases.

indiamarkets: What effect has M&A on the Indian pharmaceutical industry?
Roy: It is an ongoing phenomenon in the entire world, India being no exception. You may have noticed in the last one year, many companies have been merged or sold out their brands. This is because companies cannot afford to survive in this competitive sector.

I don’t see anything wrong in the acquisition of companies by big players in the market. However, when a company acquires another company, some cuts in the employee strength is done. A large number of employees suffer because of this. Though Sun has acquired two major companies, Sun is the first pharma company which has not retrenched the staff; we have adopted the entire field staff.

indiamarkets: How has the internet enabled pharma companies?
Roy: E-mail is the most useful way of reaching the customers, doctors and others. Surfing on the Net helps one keep abreast of the latest happenings around the world. This gives one an edge over competitors. Having one's own website with updated information about the industry/ new formulations, is one of the means to educate customers.

In India, only 10-15 per cent of Indian doctors use the Net. There is still a huge scope for the sector to leverage on IT. Many of the future marketing activities will take place on the Net.

indiamarkets: What strategy do you suggest for the survival of small players in the pharma sector?
Roy: Small players need to have a clear vision about their target customers. They have to be clear about the segment they have to focus on and then work on specific therapies catering to the target customers.

The major problem confronting the smaller players in this sector is the limited resources. One’s capability to spend on research, promotion and customer services is limited. This is one of the reasons why the smaller players need to focus on specific therapies.
 

The interviewer can be contacted at pradeep@indiamarkets.com