Author

Gauri Kamath is a freelance journalist and a keen observer of the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. Starting as an intern in the Mumbai newsroom of the Business Standard newspaper in 1998, Gauri has closely followed the pharma and healthcare sectors first as a reporter, then a features writer, and later, a blogger, commentator and content specialist. Her former employers include The Economic Times newspaper and Businessworld magazine. In 2012, she left journalism and worked as a content writer for the pharma and healthcare sectors before going back to journalism in early 2021. During this time,  she also commentated on the sectors through columns published in Indian Express and moneycontrol.com, among others. Currently, she is Contributing Editor at Shaastra, a science and technology (S&T) magazine published by IIT Madras, where her writing captures developments in drugs, healthcare and medical technology through the prism of S&T.  

Click on the links below to read some of Gauri’s writing

Medtech mall : ‘Make in India’ is the mantra of an ambitious manufacturing and innovation cluster – Shaastra 

A game-changing pharma innovation : An advanced manufacturing technology promises a cheaper, faster and safer production of medicines. What does it entail? – Shaastra

Resisting the Resistance : Start-ups have joined the war against superbugs. Taken together, their work straddles prevention, diagnostics, and treatment – Shaastra

Old drugs, new uses : Can technology accelerate the repurposing of known drugs? AI and ML may show the way – Shaastra

Of mice and humans : Researchers are inventing novel ways to test drugs — and that’s good news for patients, as well as lab rats and guinea pigs – Shaastra

Closer to a cure : The potential of cell and gene therapeutics to provide lasting cures to incurable diseases is attracting a growing number of Indian scientists and companies – Shaastra

Taking root : Indian scientists are turning to medicinal plants for new drugs to treat diseases such as dengue and diabetes – Shaastra

On your biomarkers : From cough sounds to exhaled breath, and from sweat to tears, researchers are peering through new window into the human body to detect disease – Shaastra

J&J’s move to exit talc globally need not raise any fresh concerns – moneycontrol.com

It’s not just a vaccine : mRNA also lends itself to therapeutics, but the technology’s flaws need to be fixed – Shaastra

OMG, it’s omega-3 : The sharpened pharmaceutical gaze on Omega 3 Fatty Acids is a game changer for the controversial nutrient that is hailed as a miracle pill as much as it is viewed with suspicion – Shaastra

Tests that take your breath away : A world striving for normalcy amid a pandemic turns into an early proving ground for exhaled breath testing – Shaastra

Extension of Covaxin’s shelf life has been mishandled -moneycontrol.com

Squashing the super bug : A platform to combat antimicrobial resistance brings together diverse stakeholders from India and the world – Shaastra

Raising their game : Complex drugs going off-patent in the US means more hoops for Indian hoops for Indian pharma companies to jump through. But they are game for it. – Shaastra

Just Breathe Out : Medical advances have put the exhaled breath at the frontlines of efforts to diagnose killer diseases, and Indian scientists have joined the global quest -Shaastra 

To the point : The study of exhaled breath could aid the cause of precision medicine -Shaastra

Diagnosis at your doorstep : A number of Indian start-ups are harnessing cutting-edge technology to take screening and diagnosis closer to patients and the point-of-care – Shaastra

The Bold New Biotechpreneurs : A handful of Indian start-ups is venturing into the high-risk, high-attrition pursuit of new drugs, enabled by an emerging ecosystem – Shaastra

For now a middle ground in Indian healthcare – moneycontrol.com

India must close the tortuous discussions on medical device regulation – moneycontrol.com

Bottle of Lies: What ails India’s drug industry – moneycontrol.com

Lessons we must learn from the FDC fiasco – moneycontrol.com

Legalising compensation to patients of faulty medical devices: destination clear, but where is the road? – moneycontrol.com

The J&J hip implant case: On patient safety, India must up its game – moneycontrol.com

Indian healthcare providers need to get serious about infection control – Indian Express

Web drug platforms can only be as good as their partner-chemists on the ground – Indian Express

Untested drug combinations highlight the need to overhaul drug regulation – Indian Express

India’s drug pricing regime pulls off a logic-defying move – Quartz

Why India allows drugs banned elsewhere – Quartz

The ban on a popular diabetes drug shows poor side-effects monitoring – Indian Express

Changing the FDI policy will not improve the availability of essential drugs -Indian Express

The Ranbaxy scandal is more damaging to India’s image than to its prospects – Indian Express

Why the Supreme Court ruling on Glivec won’t bring down drug prices – Sunday ET

Dr Anji Reddy : The man who introduced India to the drug called innovation – Sunday ET