Issue 10 Women leading in Pharmaceutical Industry in Pakistan
Message from Editor in Chief
The global pharmaceutical market size is around $1 trillion. The pharma industry has changed dramatically in recent decades, not only in terms of the vast strides that have been made in science, but also in terms of the leadership landscape. In the 1970s, it was highly unlikely that a woman would be running one of the world’s largest pharma companies but today pharmaceutical companies, such as GSK, Mylan, Biocon, and Biological E, currently have a female CEO, and women make up under 30% of executive directors at these top firms. While a few companies, like Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer, have women in pharma in about 40% of executive committee roles, many more have only negligible female representation. Women at Bayer, for example, make up under 10% of the senior executive team.
Pakistan shares only 0.3%. The total size of the pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan is PKR 423 billion, national and multinational companies hold a market share of 69% and 31% respectively. The top 25 companies enjoy a 60% share and the top 50 companies claim an 80% share with an industry growth rate of 13.23%.The pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan is considered to be among one of the rapidly growing sectors of the country. Pakistan has about 759 pharmaceutical manufacturing units including 25 multinational firms in the country. Given so many talented female chemists, biochemists, biologists and physicists already in the sector, one can conclude that there is no tangible barrier for women when it comes to workplace entry. However, when it comes to advancement, the obstacles seem to be immense; whether it is the pay gap, unconscious bias, micro-aggressions, or childbearing. Correlated with advancement, it is evident that as women move up the ranks, the resistance, discrimination and isolation increase as well. This issue include interview of our very special guest Dr. Anjum Sibghatullah, a pharmacist with vast experience in industrial pharmacy, quality assurance, ISO certification, validation and audits. She is currently working as Head of Quality Operations at W. Woodward Pakistan and is acknowledged as a true women leader in pharma industry in Pakistan. This issue also include truths about pharmaceutical industry, pharma industry and R&D and role of DRAP in its promotion in Pakistan. Moreover, the issue also highlights barriers, problems & solutions for women in pharma industry in Pakistan along with their real stories. I would like to acknowledge that launching this issue would not have been possible without the great and much appreciated contributions from the editorial and technical team. The robust intellectual support and well time contribution of content writers deserve special appreciatory applause. Our team expects similar sort of sincere dedication from the writers in near future. Enjoy reading the issue!
Contents of Issue
- Guest of the Issue
- Truths about Pharmaceutical Industry
- Overview of Pharma Industry in Pakistan
- Role of DRAP in Promoting Pharma Industry
- Women in Pharmaceutical Industry
- Pharma Industry and Research
- Stories