Transforming Healthcare for India and the World: Interview with Meenakshi Nevatia – Country President and Managing Director, Pfizer, India

Meeting highlights: 

• Pfizer’s Extensive Footprint in India:  Strong presence across vaccines, primary care, specialty treatments, and oncology, with 70% of its products manufactured locally, highlighting its manufacturing footprint. It has a wide geographical presence with its own plant in Goa, an export-oriented unit in Visakhapatnam, a manufacturing partnership with Zydus in Ahmedabad for Oncology products, and 18 contract manufacturers across India. 
• Tapping India’s Talent Pool: A high-quality workforce with English proficiency makes the country ideal for global capability centers. Pfizer recently launched Analytics Gateway, a commercial analytics center. Pfizer in India also has key functions like medical writing and drug safety reporting from India. 
• New Products & High Impact: Pfizer India is committed to rapidly introducing new products to the market, focusing on high-impact medicines. To expedite the process, Pfizer has begun conducting extensive clinical trials within India. Additionally, strategic collaborations with local companies have been instrumental in introducing new items to our portfolio. 
• Roadmap to Becoming a Global Research Hub: while India still focuses on formulation research, there is high potential for more innovation. At present, India manages 5-10% of Pfizer's worldwide clinical trials, which opens up new research opportunities through the data gathered. Pfizer also operates a dedicated Research and Development center in Chennai, further strengthening its commitment to innovation and research within India. 
• The India Impact: India’s large patient volume offers significant potential for impact.  

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EF: What attracted you to Pfizer, and what mission and priorities have you set for yourself in this new leadership position? 

MN: What stood out for me is how different Pfizer in India is from my previous experiences. Despite its extensive footprint—from vaccines to primary care, specialty, and oncology—the company's reputation and product quality far exceed its actual size.  

Nearly 70% of what we sell in India is locally manufactured, highlighting significant manufacturing capabilities. I was excited to join a strong brand with a solid foundation and tremendous potential for expansion. 

My focus is driving Pfizer's growth. We gained strong momentum before and during COVID-19. Although we faced some challenges, these have served as opportunities to reset our baseline and build an even stronger foundation for future growth. 

This role was a great fit, given my international pharma experience. After returning to India in 2018, I worked in medical devices, which was an incredible learning experience, but pharma—where I started my healthcare journey—felt like the right next step. What solidified my decision was Pfizer’s renewed commitment to India reaffirming the country as a priority market. This strong backing from headquarters was key in my decision to join. My mandate is to help Pfizer return to growth while fostering a culture that aligns with its core values—joy, courage, equity, and excellence. 

EF: Could you explain how Pfizer is driving healthcare innovation in India and how these innovations are expected to impact both the local market and the global healthcare landscape? 

MN: Pfizer has long been committed to innovation in India. One of our largest sterile injectable plants outside the U.S. is located here, making India a key hub for global manufacturing. We also have a strong R&D presence, with nearly 1,400 employees in Chennai, including 200 at the IIT Chennai Research Park and another 1,200 in our development division, showcasing India's role in our global operations. 

India’s talent pool is increasingly recognized across Pfizer, both in medical and commercial functions. The country's expertise, English proficiency, and strategic time zone make it ideal for global operations. For instance, we recently launched the Analytics Gateway, a commercial analytics center focused on data science and AI, further strengthening our capabilities. We are evaluating launching something similar for our medical function as well. 

Other key global functions like medical writing, drug safety, and adverse event reporting are based in India. Of our 6,000 employees here, about 1,700 work in commercial operations, another 1,600 in manufacturing, and 2,500 support global operations across various capability centers. 

EF: Could you share more about Pfizer's footprint and portfolio in the country? How do you balance your portfolio to meet India’s diverse healthcare needs? 

MN: Our portfolio in India is extensive. In the area of prevention, we lead with our pneumococcal vaccine, our largest product and the only one approved for both pediatric and adult use. In primary care, we offer various products, including vitamins, digestive health items, women’s health, and cardiovascular medications. Our hospital business is key, particularly in injectable antibiotics, which is a flagship area for us in India. In oncology, we have seen significant growth with our breast cancer drug and are now focusing on lung cancer and hematology, specifically blood cancers.  

We also have a small but impactful presence in rare diseases, particularly in growth hormone treatments for children and young adults. Recently, we entered dermatology with a new product for atopic dermatitis, marking our first step in this field, with more promising developments ahead. 

One of my main goals has been to fast-track the introduction of new products into India by streamlining regulatory and clinical trial processes. We have also focused on key medicines with high potential impact, rather than spreading ourselves too thin, to maximize our effectiveness. 

Geographically, we have a strong presence across India with 18 contract manufacturers, our own plants in Goa and Visakhapatnam, and a new collaboration in Gujarat. Our R&D hub is in Chennai, making us deeply rooted in India.  

Next year (2025) marks 75 years of Pfizer’s operations in the country. As a publicly listed entity on the Indian stock exchanges, we are accountable to our shareholders. This reinforces our commitment to growth, affordability, and addressing India’s healthcare needs with the purpose of being "In India, for India." 

EF: Could you tell us more about how Pfizer is leveraging India’s capabilities for clinical trials and the opportunities to harness this data for advancements in healthcare?  

MN: The clinical trial environment in India has evolved, and we are actively contributing by supporting and developing trial sites. We are making a strong effort to conduct a significant portion of our global clinical trials in India, with around 45 studies underway. The landscape has improved dramatically, overcoming initial concerns about the quality and credibility of clinical trials in India. Many trial centers now uphold excellent data practices, consistently receiving positive feedback during inspections, both locally and from Pfizer globally as well. 

We guide hospitals through their first trials and collaborate with other, more experienced institutions. This approach offers several benefits: faster access to new medications for patients, valuable demographic-specific data, and a faster regulatory approval process.  

Our clinical trial organization in India is fully operational across all disease areas. Given our strong focus on oncology, we have restructured into two specialized teams—one for oncology and one for non-oncology trials—anticipating significant growth in oncology studies in India. 

EF: India is known as the “Pharmacy of the World”. Considering the ongoing transformations in the healthcare sector, what future title or name would you envision for India? 

MN: While some companies are exploring advanced areas like CAR-T cells, the large-scale investment required for foundational research remains a challenge for many. Most Indian companies are still focused on formulation and applied research, while multinational companies typically conduct basic research at select global locations. 

Though becoming the "Research Hub of the World" or the "Pharmaceutical Development Center" is a long-term goal, India could soon position itself as the "Innovation and Insights Hub of Healthcare." We have a highly educated, motivated workforce eager to tackle new challenges. Pfizer has set up centers in India to test ideas, develop new formulations, and explore digital tools.  

The decentralized, unreimbursed nature of India's healthcare market offers a unique testing ground for new concepts across states and regions, allowing companies to bring new ideas to make our products available to our Indian patients. This flexibility enables businesses to pilot products, packaging, and consumer strategies on a smaller scale before expanding.  

Another area of growth is collaboration with the start-up community. Through our Indovation program, we actively promote newcomers in India’s startup ecosystem, driving and supporting innovative ideas. Our goal is to create a collaborative space for innovation in the country. I would like to see more collaborations to help the incredible ideas from our youth see the light of day and benefit patients and their families.  

EF: Why is India a great place to invest in? 

MN: The growth potential in India is immense, with a population comparable to the U.S. and Europe combined, offering a huge market for expansion. Pfizer’s mission is to impact a billion lives by 2027, showcasing the vast opportunity in India with its large population and diverse needs. 

EF: One of your objectives is to drive the company back to growth, emphasizing the importance of a mindset around courage, innovation, and excellence. How do you implement this mindset while shaping and building your team and company culture? 

MN: Courage is about mindset. We are playing to win. While cliché, this accurately reflects our teams' engagement.  

Winning requires a specific mindset, particularly in customer interactions. If our salespeople do not truly believe in their product's value, they will struggle to persuade others. Our culture emphasizes confidence. Since joining last year, I have spent significant time in the field to understand our culture and customer perceptions. I was pleased to find that even within primary care teams selling established medications, there is a strong belief in our products' superiority. This mindset is vital, and we are working to instill it organization-wide. 

After the COVID-19 pandemic, we have ensured our focus stays with our colleagues in the field who are the face of Pfizer to our customers. Despite facing a significant cost challenge last year and this year, we ensured no sales position was impacted. This decision reinforced our commitment to field excellence and innovation, demonstrating that we truly value our teams working on the ground. 

Lastly, in terms of courage, we recently launched a product in dermatology in a novel way. Traditionally, multinational companies partner with Indian firms just before a patent expires, but we took a different approach by collaborating on the launch of a brand-new molecule directly with a partner like Glenmark that brings real expertise and reach in dermatology. This partnership allows us to ensure our product can benefit many more patients faster than otherwise. Since the launch in May, we have gained valuable insights into brand building and business strategies in areas where we previously lacked presence. 

EF: What legacy would you like to build in the next 5 years? 

MN:  It may sound simplistic, but looking ahead three years, I envision our company as a prominent global Indian entity rather than just a multinational in India. I want us to be recognized for our long-term commitment and impact as a prominent pharmaceutical player in India that embodies both local and global values. As we celebrate our 75th anniversary next year, we aim to emphasize our dedication to contributing meaningfully to the country for at least another 75 years. We are not just seizing a commercial opportunity; we want to do what’s right for India. To achieve this, we must think and act locally while adhering to Pfizer's global strategy and standards. 

We aim to be value-driven wherever possible, but we must recognize that the Indian market will be primarily defined by volume. Currently, we are a very large contributor to patient numbers for Pfizer globally, and there is much more we can achieve in that regard. If we focus on significantly impacting a large patient population, growth will naturally follow.  

Ultimately, I envision harnessing Pfizer’s global resources while sharing India’s strengths and insights within the broader Pfizer framework. 

EF: Do you have any final message you would like to share? 

MN: Over the last 75 years in India, our presence and commitment to our patients, customers, and people have grown exponentially. And we are only getting started. We are committed to swiftly introducing our innovative products to Indian patients and ensuring patients have access to our medicines that are already available in the country. We are also dedicated to our vision of collaborating with our stakeholders to elevate the standard of healthcare in India. Rest assured, our finest achievements are yet to come.  

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