As contract manufacturing emerging stronger after pandemic, marketers form new association in TN

Chennai, April 26, 2022:

Since contract manufacturing started emerging stronger in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry after the Covid-19 pandemic, new marketing companies are also coming up to the business landscape of pharmaceuticals with more offers to the wholesalers and retailers.

The new companies will work together after forming part of a new association of marketers being floated by the breakaway group of the CIPMMA, the Trichy based Consortium of Indian Pharmaceutical Marketers and Manufacturers Association.

According to senior pharma marketers who were part of the CIPMMA earlier, a new association with presence in all districts of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry is in the offing, and likely to function after May 15 in the form of a national trade body.

A Kannan, the former founder secretary of CIPMMA, who left the Consortium two years ago citing vested interests of some office-bearers, is the leader of the new marketers’ body which is christened as ‘Pharmaceutical Association of Marketers and Manufacturers’, otherwise known as PAMM.
 
Some members of the PAMM, who were not interested to divulge their identity, told Pharmabiz that the registration process of the association took a lot of time more than what was expected and formation of committees in the 38 districts has also taken more time due to the pandemic, hence the delay happened in the inauguration. They said the association will hold its first general body meeting and the formal inauguration of the state committee in the second or third week of May, 2022 in Chennai. The association will have four zonal committees and 38 district committees.

It is now learnt that several members of the CIPMMA are planning to take membership in PAMM to work with dynamic and influential marketers who have close contacts with manufacturers and distributors across the country. After the demise of its secretary last year, CIPMMA’s activities have come down in Tamil Nadu and there is no coordination among its members at present. A member of the association told Pharmabiz that they are planning to hold its AGM in May, but uncertain about its success as most of the members are worried and disappointed due to lack of able leaders. Karunai Kadal, president of the consortium, is silent now because of organizational restrictions imposed on office-bearers by the executive committee, said the member who spoke to Pharmabiz. CIPMMA does not have committees in all the districts.
 
CIPMMA was the first pharma marketers association formed in Tamil Nadu 14 years ago, but a vertical split in the association occurred in February 2021 with the resignation of A Kannan, the then apex committee chairman. He is supported by some leading marketing and manufacturing companies in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, hence enjoys the support of many budding marketing companies and distributors. He started the work for the formation of PAMM soon after he resigned from CIPMMA. But it took nearly two years to form a state level organisation. According to sources close to him, PAMM will not have propaganda-cum-distributors (PCDs) as members. At the time the rift emerged in CIPMMA way back in 2019, there was the allegation that the office-bearers of the Consortium had issued membership to PCDs who did not have their own brands or product registrations.
 
When news about formation of the new marketers’ body was shared with TN IDMA, its chairman J Jayaseelan said for the welfare of the industry, trade body and for the society all marketing companies should work together. As far as small scale manufacturers are concerned, they are all suffering due to several reasons and facing challenges in the market. So, this is the right time all marketers need to come on one platform, he said. Phrmabiz