In this issue Deepak Sharma talks about his journey from Medical Rep to Country Manager. Deeksha Fouzdar presents a case study on implementation of a competency-based HR system in Pharma. Other articles by K. Hariram and Vivek Hattangadi

2020 has been a challenging year for all industries. For pharma and its HCP customers even more so. All eyes are on the companies developing vaccines and drugs for treatment of COVID-19, while doctors have closed their doors for pharma reps. Long established processes have been disrupted and complex market strategies have been rendered useless. Each pharma no matter big or small, innovative, or generic, had to improvise and come up with contingency plans to save the year. Some have been slower waiting for the old ways to come back, others have been more agile experimenting with digital and expanding boundaries, most are in the middle digitally curious but not risking too much.

In many situations, technology upgradation is often construed as digital transformation. In a recently conducted survey by Altimeter, 88% of companies said that they were undergoing ‘digital transformation’ but only 25% said that they did so with the purpose beyond investing in new technology. The real definition of digital transformation is the realignment of, or new investment in technology, business models, and processes to create value for customers in a dynamic digital economy.

Articles by Bhaskar Chakravorty, Hanno Wolfram, K. Hariram, Krishna Singh, Shreenivas S, Chandan Kumar and Salil Kallianpur

In the lockdown, while I was on regular OPD and ICU rounds at a COVID hospital, I started noticing some mild symptoms of the Coronavirus infection. Being in the medical field and considering the severity of the pandemic situation then, I was very careful and cautious, and observed the symptoms closely. The symptoms persisted and I had to self-quarantine until the medical test reports came. It was important for me to isolate myself from the rest of the medical team and prevent the spread of the virus. Finally, the report came: I was COVID positive! Stunned and slightly devastated; I broke the news to my family who could not believe it either. As a doctor, I could only treat, comfort and empathize with the COVID patients undergoing treatment; completely isolated from their loved ones. But now, I could actually feel the uncertainty of the situation. I was hospitalized and continued to experience body-ache during the admission. It was a stressful situation where I felt anxious and stressed about everything. My CT scan reports showed mild lung infection on the day of admission but as the cytokines storm developed, my lungs were 76 % damaged in 3-5 days and I was short of breath and my oxygen level deteriorated to less than 80.  I was shifted to an ICU with high-flow oxygen and was on a BiPap machine which I had purchased a few weeks ago for the hospital and never imagined that I would be using myself one day.

India pharma is crucial for global healthcare, providing affordable...

India's top 10 pharma companies by market capitalization, offering insights into...

1. Market Overview The oncology sector remains the most dominant...

Introduction For decades, leaders and organizations have relied on the...

India pharma is crucial for global healthcare, providing affordable...

India's top 10 pharma companies by market capitalization, offering insights into...

1. Market Overview The oncology sector remains the most dominant...

Introduction For decades, leaders and organizations have relied on the...

India pharma is crucial for global healthcare, providing affordable...

India's top 10 pharma companies by market capitalization, offering insights into...

1. Market Overview The oncology sector remains the most dominant...

Introduction For decades, leaders and organizations have relied on the...

India pharma is crucial for global healthcare, providing affordable...

India's top 10 pharma companies by market capitalization, offering insights into...

1. Market Overview The oncology sector remains the most dominant...

Introduction For decades, leaders and organizations have relied on the...