India Pharma Outlook Team | Thursday, 20 November 2025
Pfizer has joined hands with the Pragyaan Sustainable Health Outcomes Foundation (PRASHO) to roll out a new series of migraine awareness and workplace productivity workshops across major corporate offices in Hyderabad.
The initiative addresses one of India’s most underestimated public-health challenges — a condition that silently drains focus, morale, and output across the workforce.
Migraine is not just a severe headache. It is a neurological disease that disrupts concentration, mood, and day-to-day functioning. A 2025 study in The Journal of Headache and Pain identifies it as the second leading cause of disability worldwide and the top cause among women aged 15–49, a group that forms a large share of India’s working population. The country loses 3–4% of its annual productive time to migraine, driven mostly by presenteeism.
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“Migraine is a significant public health issue that affects not just individuals but organisations and the economy at large,” said Prof G V S Murthy, president, PRASHO. The workshops are being led by neurologists Dr Subhash Kaul and Dr Shyam Jaiswal from KIMS Hospitals, and Dr G V Subbaiah Chowdhary from Yashoda Hospitals, alongside PRASHO’s public-health team.
Dr Pankaj Gupta, senior director – medical affairs, Pfizer, India said the condition is often overlooked despite causing over 17 days of productivity loss each year. Experts Dr Kaul, Dr Chowdhary, and Dr Jaiswal highlighted why early care, awareness, and cultural shifts at work are essential to reducing preventable disability linked to migraine.
Each session offers practical coping strategies, workplace adaptation guidance, and an anonymous survey to help HR teams measure internal impact. Through this programme, PRASHO and Pfizer aim to build healthier, more informed, and more inclusive workplaces across India.
