India's Pharmacist Careers Boom with Global Pharma Investments

New Delhi, Sep 25 (PTI) Growing investments by multinational pharmaceutical companies and the shift of the industry to global R&D, pharmacovigilance and technology-enabled operations are creating specialised career opportunities for pharmacists in India, according to industry experts.

In a conversation with PTI on the occasion of World Pharmacists Day on Friday, Pharmexcil Chairman Namit Joshi said the growing presence and investment by global pharmaceutical companies in India is creating more specialised and globally oriented career opportunities within the country.

"Earlier, many professionals, particularly from emerging markets, looked to the US and Europe for such opportunities. As global companies build stronger capabilities in India, talent can increasingly access similar exposure without having to move overseas.

"Strengthening industry-academia linkages, specialised skill development and research opportunities will further help create stronger career pathways and retain both young and experienced talent in India," he said.

Prashant Pandey, Medical Director at Asian Hospital, explained that retaining the best healthcare and pharma professionals requires more than just competitive salaries.

He said while India has an extensive talent pool, young professionals seek opportunities in meaningful science, innovation and global projects, while senior professionals contribute irreplaceable clinical, regulatory and manufacturing experience.

Pandey highlighted the rise of global capability centres (GCCs) established by multinational pharma firms. These centres have attracted over USD 1 billion in investment and employ more than one lakh professionals in core areas like analytics, clinical operations, pharmacovigilance and regulatory science rather than back-office tasks, curbing the urge to move abroad.

Initiatives such as Bio Pharma Shakti are strengthening the focus on biologics, biosimilars and advanced technologies, while the Global Drug Regulators' Conference earlier this year brought regulators from around 40 countries to India to discuss regulatory cooperation and harmonisation, the Pharmexcil chairman said.

These developments can help Indian pharma move further towards innovation-led growth and strengthen its global competitiveness, he added.

Abhishek Verma, Chief Business Officer at healthtech platform TatvaCare, said the biggest achievement over the last year was the rapid rise of GLP-1 drugs, which brought advanced diabetes care within reach and are capturing real market share.


"But medication alone cannot fix India's chronic health crisis – it controls symptoms, while the root cause lies in metabolic health. That is where the next business opportunity sits. The market is moving toward metabolic fortification, combining therapy with targeted nutrition, lifestyle change and digital tools to build genuine resilience in patients.

"The opportunity is not just selling a pill or an injection. It is building outcome-driven care that creates lasting value for patients and the healthcare system," he said.

Seema Pai, President, Indian Society for Clinical Research (ISCR), highlighted the need for agencies to further build the talent pool.

"Agencies such as LSSSDC, ICMR, DBT, apart from our pharmacy and medical colleges as well as ISCR would continue to build the ecosystem to ensure talent is continually developed in both the government and private sectors," Pai told PTI.

She said observations from international regulators should be viewed "as opportunities to strengthen processes, reinforce quality systems, and drive greater consistency in implementation".

"Continued collaboration between regulators, industry, investigators, and research sites will be important in maintaining high standards and building global confidence in India's clinical research capabilities," Pai said.

Indigenous innovations such as NexCAR19, India's home-grown CAR-T cell therapy, demonstrate the country's ability to contribute to advanced research and development, she added.

On the sector's trajectory, Asian Hospital's Pandey said the country's pharma market has grown from roughly USD 20 billion in 2014 to nearly USD 60 billion, with exports reaching around USD 31 billion.

"While dependence on imported APIs and high-end medical devices remains a challenge, PLI schemes and the Rs 10,000-crore Biopharma Shakti initiative are accelerating self-reliance in critical raw materials and biologics," he added.

World Pharmacists Day is celebrated on September 25 every year to honour the contributions of pharmacists towards global health, safe medication use, and healthcare systems. It was first adopted by the International Pharmaceutical Federation in 2009.