One of the silver linings of the pandemic has been the catalytic effect it caused in the pharmaceutical and life sciences segment. Despite the havoc it created in the healthcare domain with the excessive number of patients against the lack of resources, the pharma & life sciences industry has fast-forwarded its future by many years. As immediately as the pandemic began, the industry was under immense pressure and in a predicament where the only option was a success developing the COVID-19 vaccine.

The industry heavily leveraged technologies, and it paid off. By the end of 2020, Pfizer and BioNTech achieved the first authorization in the world for a vaccine to combat COVID-19. It was not just a pharmaceutical breakthrough but a fresh hope for humanity for hundreds of billions of people around the world who almost stopped living their lives. India’s first COVID-19 vaccine COVAXIN, developed by Bharat Biotech, was also soon approved. Smart technologies, like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Natural Language Processing (NLP), became vital tools in the process.

Today, around 94 percent of the country’s adult population has received at least one dose, and over 80 percent of the adult population has been covered by both doses. India has also commenced giving the COVID-19 vaccine to children aged between 12 and 14 years. For a country with a population of more than 130 crores, it’s a remarkable achievement. The government deserves credit as much as pharmaceutical companies do. It’s India making a strong statement to the world with its responsible and swift actions. Do let us know your thoughts.