The history of India's pharmaceutical industry spans over a century, including various chapters of science, research, entrepreneurship, and policymaking. Various scientists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and healthcare leaders have played vital roles throughout this long journey.
To make this history more accessible to the public, the 'India Pharma Archives' has been launched at IIM Ahmedabad. It stands as the first publicly accessible digital platform dedicated to showcasing the 125-year history of the Indian pharmaceutical industry.
Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilisers, inaugurated the 'India Pharma Archives' at the IIMA Healthcare Summit held in Ahmedabad.
Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Manoj Joshi, Secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, were present at the event. Industry leaders and academicians also attended the occasion.
This new platform showcases the long history of India's pharmaceutical industry through a digital store.
The India Pharma Archives highlights key chapters of the Indian pharmaceutical industry spanning the years 1901 to 2025.
This is not only a standard online gallery; rather, it is being developed as a continuously evolving digital archive through the ongoing addition of new information, documents, and interviews.
The platform offers insights into various facets of the industry, including its science, business, policy, and leadership.
The India Pharma Archives houses a diverse collection of historical and research-oriented materials. This includes company histories, archival documents, videos, historical footage, and interviews with key industry figures.
The archive primarily features:
- Approximately 1,000 documents and resources
- Rare films and historical footage
- Oral histories
- A comprehensive timeline
- A searchable archive
- History spanning from 1901 to 2025
- Over 250 video stories
- Interviews with more than 30 industry leaders
- Individual histories of various organizations
One of the most significant components of this archive is its collection of oral histories.
Through this start, the experiences of the first generation of entrepreneurs and leaders in the pharmaceutical industry are being saved. Their personal accounts shed light on the history of India's pharmaceutical sector—detailing how it was built, the scientific and business challenges encountered, and the evolution of various institutions.
In my view, preserving such oral histories is of great importance. The history of an industry is not limited only to statistics or official documents; the experiences of those directly involved in that transformation can also serve as invaluable material for future research.
The foundation for the 'India Pharma Archives' push was laid by a coffee-table book titled "The Alchemy of Cure".
Published earlier this year, the book told the long journey of the Indian pharmaceutical industry. Now, that work has been expanded and brought onto a digital platform. As a digital archive, it will allow for the future inclusion of additional documents, interviews, and historical materials.
Over the past few decades, India has established itself as one of the world's key pharmaceutical manufacturing nations. Organisers of the plan have highlighted that Indian medicines reach more than 200 countries across the globe.
Generations of scientists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and healthcare leaders have contributed to this success. 'India Pharma Archives' seeks to document this collective journey.
The goal of 'India Pharma Archives' extends beyond only preserving the past; it aims to create opportunities for fresh thinking, research, and collaboration for the future.
Dr. Sharvil Patel, Managing Director of Zydus Lifesciences and President of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), describes the Indian pharmaceutical industry as a remarkable story of science, enterprise, and global impact. He believes that this archive can play a vital role in fostering future innovations, collaborations, and solutions to healthcare challenges.
Sudarshan Jain, Secretary General of the IPA, also notes that this plan is not just about preserving history, but serves as a means to uphold a legacy of innovation for future generations.
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