Building a Successful Pharma Brand in India: The Role of Scientific Communication

In an interaction with India Pharma Outlook, C. Mukundan, Managing Director, Atozeta Health Solutions, shared his valuable inputs on how AI-driven personalization and omnichannel scientific engagement are redefining pharma brand-building in India. He emphasized the growing role of evidence-based content and real-world data in strengthening scientific narratives, the need for alignment between marketing and medical affairs, and the impact of regulatory norms on ethical communication. Mukundan also highlighted how regional language adaptation and digital storytelling are boosting HCP engagement in tier-2 and tier-3 markets, helping brands differentiate in India’s crowded generics landscape. Let’s unravel the nitty-gritty from his lens: 

With India’s crowded generics market, how are pharma companies leveraging scientific communication to differentiate brands and build prescriber trust more effectively?

In the densely competitive Indian generics market, pharma companies need to position their brands to win prescriber confidence. With hundreds of branded versions for a single molecule such as Azithromycin, scientific communication turns out to be the deal. Also, strong clinical data helps build credibility so that the companies can make evidence-based claims, which is attractive to physicians. Differentiation can also be in terms of formulation based on drugs specific characteristics including sustained release formulations, improved bioavailability or new dosage strength as per the need of the patient.   

Aligning communication with physicians’ real-world prescribing habits enhances relevance, while transparency and ethical promotion build long-term credibility. Through detailing, conferences, and constant interaction, the field force is very crucial, especially in specialties such as oncology where more support is anticipated. . Digital platforms enable personalized, data-driven outreach, expanding reach and impact. Also, patient education generates adherence and success which indirectly strengthens brand trust.  

A combination of these attractors allows for the successful differentiation of brands in India’s overly flooded pharmaceutical market. 

What role do evidence-based content and real-world data play in strengthening scientific narratives across India’s prescription-focused brand communication strategies? 

The evidence-based content has become the cornerstone of pharmaceutical communication, using scientifically validated data to support claims and build trust. Credibility relies primarily on the quality of sources, and in particular studies published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals. Besides clinical trials companies use more and more real-world data (RWD) from electronic health records, registries, and observational studies. RWD offers broader, long-term insights into a drug’s safety, efficacy, and adherence, making communication more relevant to healthcare professionals. In addition to this, post-marketing surveillance also enhances credibility since it monitors how a drug performs in life as well as supports new indications.   

Together evidence-based content, RWD, and post-marketing data help pharma brands stand out and develop greater trust among prescribers. 

How are Indian pharma marketing teams aligning with medical affairs to ensure scientific accuracy without compromising commercial messaging in brand-building efforts?

Medical Affairs and Marketing are different but closely related in pharma. Medical Affairs confers scientific precision, clinical thinking, and transformation of complex data into reliable products. However, marketing adapts this content into exciting formats, such as digital tools or visual aids, to provide healthcare professionals with the key benefits without overburdening them. 

Close collaboration of the two are essential as medical affairs individually connect with key opinion leaders (known as KOLs) in order to collect insights on the therapeutic gaps and the position of products; which help Marketing refine messaging strategies. With more doctors preferring digital content, online engagement has become vital; offering flexibility, feedback, and more targeted communication. Compliance is equally critical; medical affairs guarantees that all the materials comply with the standards of regulations and ethics.  

As a unit, medical affairs bring a sense of accuracy and trust, marketing provides reach and clarity-the two make out a well-balanced, effective brand communication strategy.  

In what ways are regulatory norms around promotional scientific content shaping how brands engage with healthcare professionals in India’s ethical pharma space?

Transparency, truthfulness, and scientific accuracy are the best cards in the modern Pharma field to win doctors’ trust. Doctors trust those brands where they can receive honest and evidence-based information concerning their products which makes companies shift towards data-supported brand communication. Additionally, promotional content should be scientifically correct, with balanced claims supported by credible sources. Clinical studies or journal articles should be shared in order to answer doctor queries for reinforcing trust. Also, exaggerated and misleading claims need to be avoided and promotions should be within approved indications for credibility and ethics. Limitations of promotional activities are strictly bound with regulatory bodies such as the Medical Council of India and OPPI to keep promotional activities legal and ethical.  

Patient-centric communication is also important, particularly in chronic therapies. Educating doctors and patients on dosage, duration, and outcome will increase adherence and treatment success. Beside this, companies sponsor scientific publications helpful to their therapeutic areas to improve their brand’s credibility. Through digital and traditional channels, the focus falls on ethical, evidence-based messaging to leverage doctors, and long-term brand value. 

How are regional language adaptation and digital scientific storytelling improving engagement among tier-2 and tier-3 HCPs in India’s evolving medical landscape?

In India’s multilingual healthcare landscape, breaking the language barriers, most importantly in Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions is crucial. Ensuring clear communication based on the understanding of English or Hindi may not be widespread, pharma companies are investing in quality patient education content translation into 13-14 major regional languages for clear communication. However, cultural sensitivity is equally important. For example, messaging is customized to follow the beliefs and styles of communication in the various regions thereby making the outreach to locals more conversant and effective.

Additionally, digital tools such as learning modules, webinar, and explainer videos promote two-way engagement as the patients can ask questions and get expert advice. Webinars on chronic conditions such as diabetes provide practical solutions, especially to the seniors, improving patient knowledge. Furthermore, digital storytelling also enhances retention by making clinical information become relatable stories. Interactive tools go one step further; doctors show visually-impacted organs or conditions to patients with the use of simulations to better acquaint patients with their illness and treatment. Such tools in chronic disease management enable patients to detect and rectify routine issues such as diet or medication lapses, hence enhancing adherence and therapeutic results.  

The online webinars and conferences have also become some of the major knowledge sharing forums with groups of participants from different specialties and geographies. In other words, contemporary pharma communication is a combination of regional language, cultural relevance, and digital flair to enhance patient education, adherence and health outcomes across the country. 

What impact will AI-driven content personalization and omnichannel scientific engagement have on future pharma brand-building strategies in India’s competitive market?

Artificial Intelligence is quickly reshaping the pharmaceutical industry, and this extends beyond research and development (R&D); it is in clinical operations, in manufacturing, and in marketing. Pharma is a bit behind other industries when it comes to adopting AI, but now they are experiencing its strong effect where speed, accuracy, and data-based choices are needed.  

Drug discovery is one of the most important aspects of AI contribution. It could take up to 15 years to develop a new drug traditionally. AI speeds the process up by modeling the interactions of molecules, modeling protein structures and designing molecules faster and more cost-effective – saving time and money. AI also helps to facilitate clinical trials as it helps to discover most suitable groups of patients, follow the progress in real time and analyze large arrays of data. This allows for speed in recruitment, quality in trial design, and reliable outcome. AI aid demand forecast, inventory control, and quality control in manufacturing and supply chain. These enhancements increase efficiency at the operations level, reduce costs and improve levels of innovation.  

In the fields of sales and marketing, AI is transforming communication as it automates routine functions and passes tailored content to healthcare professionals. This guarantees timely and pertinent messaging and better engagement. AI is also important in pharmacovigilance, working to identify adverse drug reactions, reviewing huge patient databases. This enhances safety monitoring and regulation compliance. Overall, AI is bringing the change in the pharma value chain from drug design to market strategy.  

Though adoption in such fields is still in progress, the trend is obvious: AI will continue to become a more essential tool in the process of making pharma more innovative, effective, and patient-oriented.