Indian pharma gears up for second CPhI India

CPhI India's second outing in Mumbai promises to be a networking opportunity par excellence

Mumbai has seen several pharma trade shows but what sets the CPhI India 2007 event apart is the fact that it is co-located with the India debut editions of Pharmaceutical Machinery & Equipment Convention (P-MEC) and International Contract Services Expo (ICSE) shows. Thus pharma professionals from different segments of the value chain will assemble at one location, increasing the networking opportunities three-hold.

Some of the Indian companies exhibiting at CPhI India 2007 include (in alphabetical order) Aurobindo Pharma, Avra Laboratories, Cadila Pharmaceuticals, Calyx Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, Dishman Pharmaceuticals & Chemicals, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Elder Pharmaceuticals, Glenmark Pharma, Hetero Labs, Hikal, IPCA Laboratories, Jubilant Organosys, Nectar Life- sciences, Paras Pharmaceuticals, Ranbaxy Fine Chemicals, Lupin and Suven Life Sciences to name a few.

"The second edition is showing a growth of almost 50% in terms of area, which is proving to be another milestone in the pharma exhibition industry. The area for this show is spread over 18000 square meters with over 350 exhibitors from over 18 countries. There are official country pavilions from Korea and China," says M Gandhi, Managing Director, UBM India, the organizers of the event. Last year's CPhI India event attracted 105 exhibitors and 22,000 visitors.

Speaking about the trends observed in this year's event, Gandhi says, "The trend this year is focusing more on out-sourcing and rapid technological advancement in India which is competing with the global standards. This also shows many tie-ups / joint ventures with overseas manufacturers for technology transfers and production capabilities in India."

Though the target audience for CMP's Worldwide events (like the CPhI/ P-MEC/ ICSE Worldwide event held in October at Milan, Italy) is the same, the country-specific events fit into the global CMP strategy seamlessly. The rationale behind this philosophy is that the country-specific events focus attention on the host countries/regions and go one step beyond the networking done at the international event.

Many overseas visitors also take the opportunity to arrange plant visits and conduct due diligence on the contacts made at the international event.