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he Indian Pharmaceutical industry never had it so good on the domestic front. Pharmac India 2009 is by far India’s most prominent pharma and healthcare exhibition. It turned out to be the Indian equivalent of some of the world’s leading Pharma trade fairs. Held between 7th - 9th November 2009, at Ahmedabad, it was a runaway success on debut as it succeeded in bringing together pharmaceutical manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, pharma machinery manufacturers and all those associated with the pharma world under same roof, in their thousands.

Organised by Orbitz Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd in a formidable alliance with the IDMA (Indian Drugs Manufacturers’ Association- Gujarat State Board) Pharmac 2009 got off to a dream start. It was inaugurated by Mr. Jaynarayan Vyas the Hon’ble Minister for Health & Family Welfare. Subsequently, he was accompanied on the dais by Mr. Pankaj Patel- MD of Cadila Healthcare, Mr. N R Munjal - President of IDMA, Dr. Surinder Singh The Drug Controller of India, Mr. I. A. Modi - MD Cadila Pharmaceuticals and the Founder- Chairman of IDMA - GSB. Others who shared the limelight were Mr. Kamlesh Patel Chairman of IDMA-GSB, Mr. Chirag Doshi - Secretary IDMA-GSB, Mr. Rupen Vikamsey MD Orbitz Exhibitions Ltd.

The only dampener was that the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat Mr. Narendra Modi, who was earlier scheduled to inaugurate Pharmac 2009, was extremely apologetic that could not do so due to certain unavoidable circumstances. Nonetheless, he was committed enough to be present on video conferencing for almost half an hour during the inaugural proceedings. In his speech he said “The pharma industry is a vibrant one in Gujarat and I am sure it will offer rich experiences to all entrepreneurs on its soil. Gujarat's contribution to world trade particularly pharmaceuticals, cannot be undermined. An exhibition like Pharmac with both national and international appeal would help in the bringing together of ideas and sharing of experiences. Moreover it will provide a forum to discuss government policies and their impact in particular on the pharma industry. I acknowledge the contributions of and congratulate all those who have taken the Indian pharma industry to great heights.”
To quote Dr. Surinder Singh The Drug Controller of India, “I appreciate the efforts of the organisers to host Pharmac in Gujarat and bring all small and mini scale industries in the pharma and related sector on a bigger platform where all issues can be addressed at the state as well as the national level. I wish Pharmac all the success and suggest it be held in other states as well."

In his opening speech Mr. N R Munjal, President of IDMA said “Pharmac is the first of its kind event for the industry in India. The agenda of Pharmac is to provide a big boost to the growth of the Indian pharmaceutical Industry by providing up to date information & latest technology to initiate and promote cooperation, alliance and joint ventures by way of improvements in quality standards and R& D provide new avenues and markets for exports & imports. In fact showcase India's strength achievement, growth and potential in all sectors and provide a major boost to the all round growth of Indian pharma industry globally as well as locally. An event like Pharmac 2009 provides testimony to the potential of the Indian pharma industry's capabilities.”

There were a total of 200 exhibitors who managed to attract close to 10000 visitors in 3 days - each day drawing in at least around 3,500 quality visitors. The other highlight of Day One was the Exhibitors’ Industry Networking Night at the happening Rajpath Club

Day Two saw a conspicuous congregation of doctors, decision makers of the leading pharmaceutical companies and an impressive percentage of overseas visitors. The high point of the day was the Purchase & Contractors’ Meet which was highly appreciated and elicited a good response.

Day Three saw the exhibition halls packed with final year pharma students where they got to see India’s as well as some overseas exhibitors on a common platform.

The choice of the venue - Ahmedabad known as “Manchester of the East” was a deliberate and rational one.. Being the financial capital of Gujarat and the Pharma hub of India, it provided an excellent business infrastructure and contributed immensely to the success of Pharmac India 2009.

At Pharmac India 2009 exhibitors launched path breaking products in India and met end-users directly, got immediate feedback on product range and corporate image, built and grew their prospects database. In addition, they got a first hand account of the market, the competition and got to explore new areas and markets for exports and imports. It afforded a fantastic platform to tap the vast Indian market.

Mr. Jagdish Kumar Patel - MD, Tiger Surgicals was liberal in his praise, “A spectacular setting on Pharmac's debut hosting. We launched unique and non-reusable disposable syringes for the first time in at Pharmac India. I received many overseas visitors especially from Nigeria who were very impressed and even offered to visit my factory. I also got numerous dealership enquiries from neighbouring cities. As a result we got a platform not only in Gujarat but outside it as well. Overall excellent platform and superbly organized exhibition. The stalls were very reasonably priced. You can book stall no A1 at all future versions of Pharmac India in advance without even consulting me.”

With such rave reviews it is without a doubt that Pharmac 2009 was a phenomenal success on debut itself and it has laid the ground for providing the Indian pharma industry a greater boost in the years to come.