SciMark's Blog

The biotech industry in India is expected to show salubrious growth rates in coming years, and is projected to enjoy a CAGR of around 20% between FY2011 & FY2013, says RNCOS in its latest research report, "Booming Biotech Market in India". Future of the industry remains pleasantly buoyant despite the lack of venture funding and stringent regulations in the country. We have found that growth in the biotech industry will be mainly driven by rising R&D expenditure and government support in the form of tax rebates and incentives. Further, the government's initiatives in facilitating implementation of public-private partnerships in the country will further spur industry's optimistic performance.

Cutting edge research in genetic engineering, immunological techniques, cell culture methods, stem cells and hybridoma technology are the main reason driving the growth of Indian biotech market. Additionally, a well established Indian pharmaceutical industry will also lead to a slew of innovative products in the coming years. Various factors that will propel the growth of biotech market in India over the forecast period (FY 2011-FY 2013) are also evaluated.

Last month, when I summarized the views of Calestous Juma, professor of the practice of international development at Harvard, on the potential of genetically modified crops to improve Africa's agricultural productivity, many reader comments complained that the post was one-sided -- a valid criticism -- so today I thought I would look at this topic again.

My own thoughts on GM crops are influenced by the reality that by 2050, the world will likely have another two billion mouths to feed and face an estimated 70 percent increase in global food demand. We need another Green Revolution to increase agricultural productivity, especially in Africa, and we should pursue a variety of approaches to meet that challenge. Undoubtedly, these approaches should include better farmer training and improved fertilization and irrigation, especially given that less than 4 percent of sub-Saharan African farmland is currently irrigated, versus 40 percent in Asia. A recent report from the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change proposes a thoughtful multi-pronged strategy to increase food production, including enhancing populations' resilience to climate change and raising investment in sustainable farming. Solutions should also include waste reduction: Western consumers throw away roughly a third of the food that is produced, and in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, around a third of food produced ends up rotting due to inadequate transportation and storage. However, we would be remiss if we do not include GM crops in the toolkit.

Biotechnology industry came in in 1970s with the recombinant DNA technique. Since then there is no looking back and now the biotechnology career is on boom with wide number and type of biotechnology industry jobs in India as well as across the world. Healthcare, pharmaceutical and food safety are the major industries that have numerous biotechnology industry jobs. As of Dec. 31, 2006, there were 1,452 biotechnology companies in the United States biotechnology and related companies that make $50 billion in annual revenue. Close to 80,000 people were doing jobs in biotechnology industry in the year 1992.

What is Biotechnology?

In simple words biotechnology is the science that combines technology with biology. In this comes Chemistry, Engineering, Genetics, Biochemistry, Immunology, Microbiology and Virology along with many other subjects like Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Health and� Medicine, Cell Biology, Plant Physiology, Seed Technology etc are part of it. In biotechnology living organisms are used to make pharmaceutical, agricultural, environmental and other products that are beneficial to the environment as well as human beings. Also it is used in plants and animals to alter their genetic information for the improvement and to get more benefits from them.

President Obama has said, “the Administration will develop a National Bioeconomy Blueprint detailing steps to harness biological research innovations to address national challenges in health, food, energy, and the environment.”

The Industrial Biotechnology journal ran a Commentary, authored by BIO, showcasing the necessary policies to create a biobased economy. It said the industrial biotechnology sector’s greatest challenge is developing a successful, flourishing “biobased economy” where renewable agricultural feedstocks are converted to higher value products including biofuels and renewable chemicals; or microbial systems are used to produce chemical intermediates or in the manufacture of consumer products. A growing biobased economy can strengthen the nation’s economic security and enhance energy security, the Commentary asserted. 

If chemical e-Marketing is slowly but surely gaining momentum, then Pharmaceutical e-Commerce is still in its infancy. I haven’t seen as many mistakes and bad moves anywhere in the B2B field compared with pharma. Unfortunately many companies are taking completely the wrong approach in employing or subcontracting cross-industry e-Marketing professionals to handle this very complicated and specific field. There are not many real specialists in this area (I have heard stories from them that when applying for positions within the industry, they are often faced at interview by someone with no idea of pharma-specific problems whatsoever. These people don’t even know the most common abbreviations used in pharma / API business such as: DMF, USP, BP, etc.) Therefore, in many cases, pharma or marketing companies take on board new media specialists that put emphasis on user experiences, WEB 2, interactivity, and other secondary issues. This approach creates systems of Pharmaceutical e-Marketing similar to the marketing of food and beauty products. But the pharma industry is noticeably different. So the main advice would be: if getting on board a pharma / API specialist then make sure that he/she knows the industry itself not just general B2B(C) e-Marketing.

Meanwhile, let’s discuss what pharma e-Marketing is and how it should be organised. Many aspects of it are similar to chemicals but with a number of differences. So we’re not going to repeat what we have just said in the chemical section, but it is worth mentioning that the Dual Star strategy is fully adjustable to the Pharmaceutical industry, plus it requires some extra considerations.

All marketers enjoy and appreciate a thoroughly planned and well-executed HTML email campaign and if you think about it, there’s certainly a lot to like about them. Quite simply, HTML emails have the potential to pack a solid punch.

Let’s have a quick look at some of their endearing features:

• Greater control over formatting, layout, colour, fonts, graphics and branding – meaning you can unleash your inner designer and be as creative as you like.
• The result is a beautifully designed email that visually appealing (if you’ve done your testing)
• Interactive functionality
• You can include images that enhance your copy and corporate branding that helps establish brand awareness (make sure these are embedded properly and not just copy/pasted)
• You can include links to: websites, landing pages, videos, sign up forms, etc. (basically anywhere you want to)
• You can track the open rate and click through rate

Before we get carried away with this, it should be noted that although HTML emails are a hugely popular choice for email marketers, plain text emails are not without benefits and in fact many subscribers prefer to receive them over the HTML version. This is because they are:

The phrase “dynamic content” sounds like something that is likely to explode (in your inbox). Truth is it does offer you the opportunity to add serious “bang” to your email campaigns. Incorporating dynamic content goes beyond simply personalizing the basics of your email, such as: Dear Bob Blogs and from: your(real) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . It allows you to tailor your campaigns based on how you’ve segmented your audience according to their specific individual attributes.This means different target groups receive different content, for example offers, specials, images, CTA’s and links to landing pages. Clever stuff, you’ll agree. Such highly personalized and targeted campaigns can only result in one thing – you’re one step closer to the results you desire.

The idea behind dynamic content is that you can set up a single email (which can be repeated for future campaigns), but the content of each gets personalized for each recipient. Because the content is so highly relevant, open rates, click-through-rates and conversion rates are generally much higher. There are also other benefits to incorporating dynamic content, including: automatic updates of editorial content, optimal use of message templates, avoiding double the production work, personalizing external content boxes as well as tracking links inside the external content boxes.

Given that the pharmaceutical industry has been around a while, most people have a pretty firm grasp of what drug companies do. They manufacture and market the myriad medications we find both behind and over the pharmacist's counter. 

What then, is biotechnology, which also works to develop new drugs? What is the difference between biotech and traditional drug companies? 

You’re a small start-up company with high ambitions but a small budget, so how can you go about reaching that large, attentive audience you so desire? It’s simple, use email marketing.

It is universally understood that email marketing is a cost effective, fast way to engage your customers and potential customers. Added to this, it delivers the highest return on investment over any e-marketing tactic available. Being a small, new business, you might not have started on the path to creating and developing any lasting relationships with customers, which isn’t the end of the world, but it is something that email marketing can help you with. With each permission-based email campaign that you send and your recipient opens, you are effectively establishing a trusting relationship with them.

The Indian pharmaceutical market is expected to touch US$ 74 billion sales by 2020 from US$ 11 billion now, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report. India's pharmaceutical market grew at 15.7 per cent during December 2011, with growth in key therapy areas, including anti-diabetics, derma and vitamins outperformed the market, according to data compiled by market research firm All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD).

India has every chance to capitalise the opportunity to become a pharmaceutical Superpower in 2020 and a hub for all pharmaceutical manufacturing & research needs, according to Subodh Priolkar, President, 63rd IPC, and regional Managing Director, Colorcon Asia.

Can you honestly say that you feel the love emanating from your loyal subscribers?  If the answer is ‘no’ and the feeling is more like that of licking a cactus, then you could assume that you aren’t engaging with your subscribers very well, if at all. As you know, engagement is one of the first things you need to establish and meticulously maintain if you want to reach the goals you have in mind. If the thought of this strikes fear in your heart and mind, fear not! Engaging with subscribers has become infinitely easier over the past few years and today there are scores of different online platforms you can choose to connect with your valuable customers on.

To get you going, we’ve summed up some of the best questions you can ask yourself to help you identify whether or not you’re engaging with your subscribers in the most appropriate way.

Revenue in the Global Biotechnology industry as grown strongly since 2007, despite subdued gains during the global economic recession. Many of the major players reported slower growth in the US compared with other parts of the world; this is expected to continue as standards of living and healthcare access improves across developing nations. As stock prices dropped during the recession, investors scaled back their contributions. This trend has since reversed, but any economic weakness could restart investor reluctance. For these reasons, industry research firm IBISWorld has added a report on the Global Biotechnology industry to its growing industry report collection.

There are a large range of firms engaged in biotechnology activities. On one end are small, dedicated biotechnology companies that are research and development (R&D) intensive and operate primarily with venture capital, grants, initial public offerings and collaborative agreements. On the other end are large, diversified companies with significant in-house R&D resources and well-established production, commercialization and distribution processes. IBISWorld estimates that Global Biotechnology industry revenue will reach $228.6 billion in 2012, having increased at an average rate of 10.4% per annum over the past five years. Growth in 2012 is expected to continue its recovery, with revenue rising by 9.9%. According to IBISWorld industry analyst Craig Shulman, this follows a relatively modest 8.7% rise in 2009 as the global recession eroded demand for non-essential health products, and easing fuel prices tempered the biofuels craze. The greater effect of the global recession on the industry in 2009, however, was the reluctance of private investors to provide capital as the collapse in stock prices prompted increased risk aversion. This investor reluctance eased in 2010, although investors will remain highly sensitive to any economic weakness. Any prolonged lack of funding would result in reduced R&D spending, which, if not reversed, will jeopardize the industry's future revenue growth.

India is one of the most lucrative healthcare markets globally and in terms of revenue and employment, it is one of the largest sectors. Delivering affordable health care to India's billion-plus population itself presents enormous challenges and signifies enormous opportunities for the medical community and other service providers. Backed by several growth drivers including the prevalence of various diseases, untapped market, increasing urbanization, rising life expectancy, and active private sector participation are some of the leading factors supporting the industry’s growth.

Further, RNCOS in its latest report, “Indian Healthcare - New Avenues for Growth”, says that India represents a splendid investment opportunity in the healthcare sector with ever-growing population and the continued rise in the number of diseases. Multinational players have consistently been focusing on the Indian healthcare market landscape and trying to enlarge their presence through partnerships and investments. Private equity funds have already invested US$ 2.53 Billion in 216 healthcare deals since 2005 in India. The FDI inflows will further escalate in near future on the back of factors, such as entry of foreign players and liberal regulatory regime.

The Internet is being used extensively to communicate not only among professionals but also to the general public. It has attained almost a mass media status. The social net working like face book, twitters and linked in are making head way in the all areas of human activities. The marketing is no exception to this. The e-marketing tools and modalities are extensively used in order to outreach the customer in most cost effective manner.

The use of internet technologies to reach customers of pharmaceuticals is been considered as most emerging approach against conventional medical detailing. Due to easy accessibility of internet, the information revolution’s picking up, and opening unprecedented opportunities of reaching the primary consumers, that is general public. This has given fillip to the avenues like internet  pharmacies and direct to consumer marketing  Many countries have measures in place to limit advertising by pharmaceutical companies. One type of marketing is direct to consumer advertising. Direct-to-Consumer advertising (DTC advertising) usually refers to the marketing of pharmaceutical products but can apply in other areas as well. This form of advertising is directed toward patients, rather than healthcare professionals. The Food and Drug Administration holds responsibility of regulating DTC advertising. Forms of DTC advertising include TV, print, radio and other mass and social media. There are ethical and regulatory concerns regarding DTC advertising, specifically the extent to which these ads may unduly influence the prescribing of the prescription medicines based on consumer demands when, in some cases, they may not be medically necessary. The United States (1997) and New Zealand (1981) are the only two countries that encourage the DTC advertising.

As far as the metrics that are available for you to use to evaluate your email campaign, there are a few; however it really doesn’t have to get complicated. There are a core group of these commonly used that will enable you to successfully track the most important aspects of your campaign.

We’ve looked at 6 of the most popular metrics, which if you follow carefully and use the data gathered effectively, will take your campaigns from strength to strength.

Expressing keenness to bolster the bilateral relations in the health sector, Saudi Arabia said it was willing to extend incentives to Indian pharma companies to set up base there with the objective of producing affordable medicines to meet the regional needs.

This was conveyed by Dr Abdullah Bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh, Speaker of Majlis Ash Shura (Consultative Council) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, when he called Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in New Delhi. He is leading a Parliamentary delegation from Saudi to strengthen the bilateral relations.

You have diligently gone through the process of establishing which of your subscribers are actually inactive and more importantly why. There could be a number of reasons for this, but one of the most likely is that your content simply isn’t interesting enough to grab their attention, either in the subject line or in the body of your emails. These are the subscribers that you want to target your re-activation campaign at.

Re-engaging (re-activating) your subscribers is a good idea for a number of reasons. Firstly, the process costs less than if you were to try and acquire new subscribers. Also, having inactive subscribers on your list can harm your reputation and deliverability. This is because client interaction is becoming increasingly important in the filtering decisions with ISP’s. With the aim of identifying spammers, these ISP’s turn old email addresses in to ‘spam traps’ or ‘honeypots’ and monitor email marketers that constantly send emails to these invalid addresses.

As we gear up for 2012, Murali Rao, Associate Vice President, Healthcare, Technopak gives an overview of the Indian healthcare sector and charts it future growth path.

India’s economic growth and rapid urbanisation is bringing with it an expected health transition in terms of shifting demographics, increasing ability to afford quality healthcare, changes in morbidity pattern with growing degenerative and lifestyle diseases, and increasing penetration of health insurance.

India on Monday urged Japan to remove all non-tariff barriers to enable the benefits under the comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) to kick in and said Indian drug companies are well positioned to meet the needs of the Japanese market. 

Commerce, industry and textiles minister Anand Sharma told his Japanese counterpart that India's share is less than 1% of the total Japanese market and Tokyo may examine the need to expand the share of generic medicines, sources said. The minister also urged the Japanese delegation to start negotiations on nursing and healthcare professional services soon as the move would benefit both countries, the sources added. 

When you think of a brand, or specifically your brand, what comes to mind? Broken down, a brand constitutes a name, tag line, logo and design, all of which should ultimately define your business perfectly. A brand, we now know however, is much more than that. It is the voice, attitude, style, familiarity and feeling that people get when they think about a business or company, and it’s hugely important.

On the back of a global recession competition is stiff and just a click away at the best of times, so the more awareness there is surrounding and supporting your business the better. One of the ways that you can boost your brand is to use (or make better use of) email marketing. These days it’s an extremely affordable solution that can help keep you in the inboxes and minds of those who matter most to your company; your customers and subscribers. On average it takes 7 times for a customer to recognize your brand after first encountering it. The beauty of email marketing is that it allows to you to engage, interact and find out more about your customers long after they have left your site. In short, it helps them remember you and recognize your brand quicker.