The Indian pharmaceutical industry is one of the fast growing sectors of the Indian economy and has made rapid strides over the years. From being an import dependent industry in the 1950s, the industry has achieved self-sufficiency and gained global recognition as a producer of low cost high quality bulk drugs and formulations. Leading Indian companies have developed infrastructure in over 60 countries including developed markets like US and Europe. In the recent past, several pharmaceutical companies have demonstrated that they possess the ability to engage in commercially viable research and development activities and become significant players in the international market.

Aruvian Research analyzes The Pharmaceutical Industry in India in Michael Porter's Five Forces Analysis. It uses concepts developed in Industrial Organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. Porter referred to these forces as the microenvironment, to contrast it with the more general term macro-environment. They consist of those forces close to a company that affect its ability to serve its customers and make a profit. A change in any of the forces normally requires a company to re-assess the marketplace.