Pfizer’s Commitment to India: Meenakshi Nevatia Highlights ‘Make in India’ Initiatives
Meenakshi Nevatia, the Managing Director of Pfizer Limited, has emphasized the company’s strong commitment to India through its ‘Make in India’ initiatives. She noted that nearly 70% of Pfizer’s products sold in India are manufactured locally, either at their Goa plant or through 18 contract partners.
Expansion in Research and Development
Pfizer is expanding its research and development capabilities with 1,500 employees in Chennai and a research center at IIT Madras. Nevatia stated, “We are 100% committed to India. Our expansion takes different forms, starting with R&D, where we are continuously expanding.”
Manufacturing and Export Initiatives
The company is enhancing its manufacturing capacity in Goa and setting up an export-oriented unit for sterile injectables. Nevatia mentioned, “We are seeing some expansion as we are trying to bring more products to be manufactured in India.”
Supporting Healthcare Startups
Pfizer is also supporting healthcare startups in India. In collaboration with NIPER-Ahmedabad and other organizations, Pfizer announced six winners of the INDovation program for healthcare startups. Nevatia explained, “We started in 2022 to encourage startups in healthcare, largely in the diagnostic and med tech space.”
Focus on Adult Vaccination
Pfizer is investing in adult vaccination, with a focus on pneumococcal vaccines. Nevatia highlighted the importance of building an ecosystem for adult vaccination, including creating patient awareness and ensuring proper distribution.
Doubts Revealed
Pfizer -: Pfizer is a big company that makes medicines and vaccines to help people stay healthy. They are known for creating important medicines that people use all over the world.
Meenakshi Nevatia -: Meenakshi Nevatia is the Managing Director of Pfizer Limited in India. This means she is one of the top leaders in the company and helps make important decisions for Pfizer in India.
‘Make in India’ initiatives -: ‘Make in India’ is a program started by the Indian government to encourage companies to make their products in India. This helps create jobs and boosts the economy.
R&D capabilities -: R&D stands for Research and Development. It means working on new ideas and products to make them better or to create new ones. Pfizer is doing this in India to improve their medicines and vaccines.
IIT Madras -: IIT Madras is a famous engineering and technology school in India. It is known for its smart students and great research work.
pneumococcal space -: The pneumococcal space refers to efforts to prevent and treat diseases caused by pneumococcal bacteria, which can lead to serious illnesses like pneumonia. Pfizer is focusing on vaccines to help protect adults from these diseases.