Our ambition is to be a trusted partner at each stage of that journey

What pharma and life sciences trends do you see shaping India over the next three to five years, and where does PerkinElmer see the biggest opportunities in this changing landscape?

India’s pharmaceutical industry is moving into a new phase of growth, driven by complex generics, specialty formulations, API manufacturing and research-led drug development, underpinned by an increasing focus on quality and innovation. As Indian companies strengthen their presence in regulated global markets, the ability to consistently demonstrate product quality and meet evolving regulatory expectations will become an even greater competitive differentiator.

We see three core trends shaping the industry. First, India’s ambition to move up the pharma value chain is creating greater demand for advanced analytical technologies and scientific expertise. Second, the growing focus on impurity profiling, trace-level contaminants and analytical rigour is raising the bar for pharma testing. Third, manufacturers are looking to improve laboratory productivity through more efficient method development efficiency and reliable analytical data.

For PerkinElmer, these trends present opportunities across chromatography, mass spectrometry, spectroscopy and other analytical technologies that support pharma R&D and quality testing. Our focus is on helping customers address their specific analytical challenges with the right combination of technology, application expertise and service support.

More broadly, beyond its status as a major pharma manufacturing hub, India is increasingly becoming a centre for scientific development and global pharma supply. We see considerable potential through our OneSource Laboratory Services team to deepen partnerships with Indian pharma companies as they invest in more sophisticated analytical capabilities. As research and quality operations become more global, ensuring instruments perform consistently and compliantly becomes just as important as the technology itself. 

PerkinElmer is entering the pharma space with its LC-MS/MS offering and new software. What is driving this move, and what gap in pharma analytical testing are you looking to address?

The QSight LC-MS/MS platform making inroads into the pharma segment marks an important step in expanding PerkinElmer’s presence in India’s pharma market. We see a clear opportunity to address the growing need for sensitive, selective and reliable quantitative analytical solutions as pharma companies work with increasingly demanding testing requirements.

For pharma R&D and analytical laboratories, challenges such as trace-level impurity quantification, nitrosamine analysis where suitable methods are established, and complex sample investigations can require analytical capabilities beyond conventional approaches. Triple-quadrupole LC-MS/MS is particularly valuable for targeted quantitative applications that demand high selectivity and sensitivity.

QSight brings together triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry, StayClean ion-source technology and a dual ESI/APCI source configuration designed to offer flexibility across suitable applications. Complementing the platform is Simplicity 3Q software, which supports workflows spanning method development, data acquisition, processing and reporting.

Our approach goes beyond the launch of a new instrument. We are building pharma application readiness and helping laboratories evaluate technology against their specific analytical needs through relevant rigorous application development and expert technical support. We also recognise the importance of appropriate software configuration, validation and documentation for regulated laboratory use.

Ultimately, our objective is to give pharma laboratories another strong analytical option for addressing challenging quantitative applications while supporting dependable performance and greater laboratory productivity.

As Indian pharma moves towards complex molecules, biologics and higher-value R&D, what gaps do you see in the industry’s analytical capabilities, and how is PerkinElmer addressing them?

One of the key challenges for Indian pharma is ensuring analytical capabilities keep pace with increasingly complex products, more demanding impurity requirements and the expectations of global regulatory markets.

For small-molecule drugs, APIs and finished formulations, laboratories must address a series of critical challenges, including impurities, degradation products, method selectivity, reproducibility and data quality – while at the same time managing sample volumes, turnaround times and resource constraints.

We see opportunities in three areas: access to fit-for-purpose analytical technologies, greater efficiency in method development and routine testing and stronger application expertise within laboratories. Advanced instruments can deliver considerable value, but only when the method, workflow and supporting expertise are aligned with the analytical question.

PerkinElmer addresses these needs through a broad portfolio of analytical technologies, supported by application knowledge, as well as software and service capabilities delivered through OneSource. Depending on the application, this can include chromatography for routine assays and related-substances testing, mass spectrometry for demanding targeted quantitative analysis, and complementary techniques for other pharma testing requirements.

We also believe that customer support and knowledge transfer are critical. Our role is to help laboratories identify the right analytical approach, develop robust workflows and make effective use of their technology. The objective is not simply to provide more sophisticated instruments, but to help pharma companies build stronger analytical capabilities that support product quality, operational efficiency and scientific progress.

You have led business turnarounds and commercial transformations across multiple markets. What are you bringing from those experiences to your mandate at PerkinElmer India and South Asia?

My experience operating across international markets has reinforced a fundamental principle: sustainable growth comes from understanding customers deeply, making clear strategic choices and executing consistently.

India and South Asia are diverse markets, with pharma companies operating at varying scales and serving different segments. A successful strategy needs to recognise these differences, identify where we can create the greatest value and align our portfolio, people and capabilities with those opportunities.

My focus is always on bridging the gap between customers insights and our business approach. In practice, that means spending time in customers’ labs to understand their most important challenges – whether that is throughput, regulatory compliance or access to skilled analysts – and make sure our commercial, application and service teams respond as one team rather than three.

For PerkinElmer in India and South Asia, the opportunity is to combine our scientific strengths with the customised and execution-oriented service that customers expect.

With India emerging as a larger R&D and manufacturing hub, how do you see PerkinElmer’s role evolving in supporting the next phase of pharma growth in the region?

As India strengthens its position in global pharma R&D and manufacturing, analytical science will play an increasingly important role in enabling quality, innovation and competitiveness. Pharma companies will need to combine robust testing capabilities with efficient laboratory operations and the ability to meet the expectations of international markets.

We see PerkinElmer’s role evolving through closer collaboration with pharma manufacturers, API producers, contract research organisations and contract development and manufacturing organisations. Our objective is to help customers identify the technologies and workflows best suited to their requirements, based on their specific needs.

This involves much more than supplying instruments. Application expertise, reliable service, training and ongoing technical support are essential to helping laboratories realise the full value of their analytical investments. We also see opportunities to deepen engagement with customers as their needs evolve – whether in expanding analytical development capabilities, strengthening quality-control operations or investigating more challenging impurities.

Our broader analytical portfolio across chromatography, mass spectrometry and spectroscopy positions us to support a range of pharma applications, from routine laboratory testing to more advanced analytical investigations. We will continue to focus on making our technologies relevant to local customer needs while drawing on our wider scientific and technological capabilities.

India in particular represents a significant long-term opportunity for PerkinElmer. The industry is moving up the value chain, from generics and APIs towards complex generics, biosimilars and novel drug discovery, and the scientific and regulatory demands grow at every step. Our ambition is to be a trusted partner at each stage of that journey, helping pharma companies strengthen their analytical capabilities, improve laboratory performance and compete with confidence in global markets.

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