Category: Medical

  • Catheter-Linked Infections rise in India’s ICUs

    Catheter-Linked Infections rise in India’s ICUs

    Bloodstream infections acquired during a hospital stay due to the use of a catheter are prevalent across ICUs in India and are often caused by microbes having a high level of antibiotic resistance, according to a study led by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

    Antibiotic resistance — in which antibiotic drugs are rendered ineffective because disease-causing microbes have become immune to them — can extend one’s hospital stay and treatment costs, adding stress to a public healthcare system.

    Estimates published in The Lancet Global Health journal show that on average, around nine bloodstream infection events occur every 1,000 days that a central line — a catheter inserted in a patient’s large vein instead of an intravenous line — was in place in the intensive care units (ICUs) of Indian hospitals.

    ‘Central line-associated bloodstream infections’, or CLABSI, are preventable infections — often acquired from a hospital environment — and significantly contribute to illness and death in low- and middle-income countries, including India.
    The researchers said that tracking rates of bloodstream infections in ICUs can help countries develop preventive measures suited to a healthcare system.

    However, setting up a surveillance that systematically tracks infections due to catheter use or other hospital-acquired infections calls for a significant amount of resources and is a challenge in low- and middle-income countries, including India, they said.
    The team analysed data from 200 intensive care units received by the Indian Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) surveillance network from 54 hospitals across the country over a period of seven years.
    “During the surveillance period from May 1, 2017, to April 30, 2024, 8,629 laboratory-confirmed CLABSI events, 3,054,124 patient-days and 977,052 central line-days were recorded. The overall pooled CLABSI rate was 8.83 per 1,000 central line-days,” the authors wrote.

    Highest rates of bloodstream infections linked to central line catheter use were seen to occur during 2020-21, coinciding with the Covid-19 pandemic, which the researchers said may be due to overwhelmed ICUs, staff shortage and compromised infection prevention measures.

    The study — first large-scale observational one, providing a standardised surveillance report of CLABSI in India — provides a valuable opportunity for a quality improvement-based approach for the reduction of CLABSI, the authors said. PTI

  • RescueStat is acquired by Cardio Partners

    RescueStat is acquired by Cardio Partners

    Cardio Partners, Inc. announced the acquisition of RescueStat. This acquisition strengthens Cardio Partners’ mission to increase survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and expands its ability to deliver life-saving solutions to more communities across the country.

    Founded by ER physicians, RescueStat brings two decades of expertise, innovation, and customer-focused service in AED program oversight and smart monitoring technology. The company shares Cardio Partners’ commitment to supporting responders with the tools and training needed to save lives.

    “Bringing RescueStat into the Cardio Partners family is a strategic move that deepens our capabilities and advances our shared mission,” said Lawrence Franchetti, President of Cardio Partners. “Together, we are better equipped to empower customers with more choices, seamless solutions, and exceptional support in the fight against sudden cardiac arrest.”

    Carl Dixon, CEO of RescueStat, added, “RescueStat was built on a mission to save lives through transformative technology and service that revolutionize SCA response. This milestone reflects the trust, grit, and growth mindset of our team, and I’m excited to accelerate our shared mission by joining forces with Cardio Partners.”

    The acquisition reinforces Sarnova’s and Cardio Partners’ long-term support for vendors and partners while opening new opportunities for collaboration. Customers will benefit from a broader product portfolio, enhanced support infrastructure, and expanded reach.

    Brian LaDuke, CEO of Sarnova, shared, “I am thrilled to have RescueStat join our team. Their leading-edge AED readiness and maintenance solutions elevate our impact and strengthen our mission to drive better outcomes in sudden cardiac arrest through expanded, technology-driven solutions.”

    Yuriy Prilutskiy, Co-Head of Patricia Industries, said, “Patricia Industries is committed to supporting Sarnova in its mission to make life-saving health and safety solutions more accessible to those who need them most. This transaction further enhances Sarnova’s long-term growth potential by adding an innovative technology solution to its portfolio, and aligns with our organization’s purpose of creating value for people and society by building strong and sustainable businesses.”

    Legal counsel for Cardio Partners in the transaction was provided by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. Counsel for RescueStat provided by Perkins Coie LLP and Hawley Troxell Ennis & Hawley LLP.
    TheNewsBit Bureau

  • Market for wearable medical devices will grow at a 13.67% CAGR

    Market for wearable medical devices will grow at a 13.67% CAGR

    The wearable medical devices market to grow at a 13.67% CAGR through 2032, fueled by aging populations, rising chronic diseases, and tech advancements.

    Wearable medical devices market dynamics
    The global wearable medical devices market is experiencing robust growth momentum driven by several compelling factors. The market is witnessing positive growth primarily owing to the rising prevalence of various chronic diseases such as cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, and pain-related disorders.

    The current wearable medical devices market size projections indicate steady expansion through 2032, with the market expected to maintain a compound annual growth rate of 13.67% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2032. This growth trajectory reflects the increasing integration of wearable technology into mainstream healthcare delivery systems.

    North America is expected to dominate the overall wearable medical devices market, attributed to the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, surging elderly population burden, increasing unhealthy lifestyle patterns, and increasing regulatory approval for wearable health devices

    The market expansion is further influenced by demographic shifts, particularly the rising burden of the geriatric population prone to various chronic diseases across the globe. According to DelveInsight’s report, people aged 60 years and beyond will double from 12-22% and reach 2.1 billion by 2050. Furthermore, by 2030, one out of every six people globally will be aged 60 years or beyond, with the number of people aged 80 years or above expected to triple between 2020 and 2050, reaching approximately 430 million.

    The wearable medical devices development shows robust pipeline activity across multiple device categories. The electrocardiographs fetal and obstetric devices segment is expected to hold significant revenue share, attributed to growing advantages and applications, along with surging product approvals and launches by key manufacturers.

    The wearable medical devices competitive landscape demonstrates active industry participation with strategic collaborations, acquisitions, and product launches. The COVID-19 pandemic has particularly accelerated market adoption, increasing awareness about physical fitness globally and surging demand for monitoring devices, including fitness monitors, cardiac monitors, pulse oximeters, respiratory monitors, and blood pressure monitors.

    The wearable medical devices market unmet needs and opportunities include navigating regulatory approval processes while capitalizing on increasing regulatory acceptance for wearable medical technology. The market benefits from growing awareness about fitness and physical activity, presenting significant opportunities for expansion across therapeutic and diagnostic applications.

    The wearable medical devices future market outlook remains highly positive, with growth drivers including technological advancement, expanding applications in remote patient monitoring, increasing healthcare digitization, and growing consumer acceptance of wearable health technologies. The market is expected to benefit from continued product innovation, strategic partnerships, and expanding geographic reach during the forecast period. DelveInsight

  • FDA lacks a need to limit PFAS use in medical devices

    FDA lacks a need to limit PFAS use in medical devices

    The FDA said this week that it has found no reason to restrict the use of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in medical devices, including polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).
    The agency cited decades of use and an ECRI review that “found no conclusive evidence of patient health issues associated with PTFE as a material.”

    PFAS are a group of more than 15,000 “forever chemicals” used in a range of industries. PTFE was first used in a medical device in the 1950s. These materials are used in cardiovascular stents, pacemakers, vascular grafts and guidewires. They provide lubrication for devices inserted into the body, electrical insulation for pacemaker wires and biostability for implants that remain in place for long periods.

    The FDA statement comes as device manufacturers face growing public and regulatory scrutiny on PFAS use. Some companies are exploring ways to reduce or replace fluoropolymers in coatings and components to address environmental concerns and prepare for potential future restrictions. Industry experts have noted that making such changes will require identifying materials that match fluoropolymers’ performance in safety-critical applications.

    3M, a major PFAS manufacturer, pledged to halt all PFAS production by the end of 2025 after paying hundreds of millions of dollars to settle lawsuits over groundwater contamination.

    The FDA said the fluoropolymers used in medical devices are chemically different from the small-molecule PFAS linked to environmental and health concerns.

    “Fluoropolymers are typically comprised of molecules that are too large to cross through cell membranes and, as a result, are very unlikely to cause toxicity to patients,” the agency said.

    The agency said biostability helps prevent degradation of devices in the body, which could otherwise release fragments and lead to serious health risks.

    The FDA said there are no alternative materials that can replace fluoropolymers in these devices without compromising performance. Many of the devices involved are critical to saving or sustaining lives.

    The FDA’s position follows a safety review it commissioned from ECRI, an independent group designated as a Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The review, completed in 2021, analyzed more than 1,750 peer-reviewed scientific articles and data from 1,800 health care provider organizations.

    The FDA said it will continue to monitor fluoropolymer safety and update its position if new information becomes available. Medical Design & Outsourcing

  • Covid vaccines averted more than 25 lakh deaths worldwide

    Covid vaccines averted more than 25 lakh deaths worldwide

    Covid-19 vaccines helped prevent more than 25 lakh deaths across the world between 2020 and 2024 — for every 5,400 doses administered, one death was averted, estimates a study.

    Findings published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Health Forum “clearly demonstrate a major overall benefit from Covid-19 vaccination during the years 2020-2024”, with 90 per cent of the life-saving benefits secured for the world’s older adults.

    Researchers from the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, and US’ Stanford University analysed publicly available data on worldwide population to estimate number of people who died due to Covid-19 and whether they died before or after getting vaccinated.

    “We compared this data with the estimated data modelled in the absence of Covid-19 vaccination and were then able to calculate the numbers of people who were saved by Covid-19 vaccines and the years of life gained as a result of them,” author Angelo Maria Pezzullo, researcher in general and applied hygiene, Catholic University of Milan, said.

    The team also found that the 82 per cent of the lives saved by vaccines involved people getting the shots before encountering the virus, 57 per cent during the Omicron period, and 90 per cent of the lives saved involved people aged 60 years and older.

    Covid-19 vaccinations also helped save 14.8 million years of life — a year of life saved for every 900 vaccine shots administered, the researchers said.

    Further, about three-quarters of the years of life saved were related to people aged 60 and above.

    “Before ours, several studies tried to estimate lives saved by vaccines with different models and in different periods or parts of the world,” author Stefania Boccia, professor of general and applied hygiene at the Catholic University of Milan, said.

    However, “this one is the most comprehensive because it is based on worldwide data, it also covers the Omicron period, it also calculates the number of years of life that was saved, and it is based on fewer assumptions about the pandemic trend,” Boccia said.

    The authors wrote, “In the main analysis, more than 2.5 million deaths were averted (one death averted per 5,400 vaccine doses administered). Eighty-two percent were among people vaccinated before any infection, 57 per cent were during the Omicron period, and 90 per cent pertained to people 60 years or older.”

    In an invited commentary article, published in JAMA Health Forum, Monica Gandhi from the University of California San Francisco’s Center for AIDS Research writes, “Vaccines save lives and the only way to get through this pandemic was always immunity; it is much safer to provide immunity to an older person through a vaccine than through natural infection.”

    Gandhi added that in the prospect of a future pandemic, models such as the one used and presented in the study could help mitigate the damage caused by widely restrictive policies, yet allow protection for those needing it the most. PTI

  • US officials alert healthcare experts to the Interlock ransomware epidemic

    US officials alert healthcare experts to the Interlock ransomware epidemic

    Four major US agencies have issued a joint cybersecurity alert warning about the escalating threat posed by the Interlock ransomware operation, which has increasingly targeted businesses, healthcare providers, and critical infrastructure entities across North America and Europe. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) released the alert Tuesday as part of the #StopRansomware initiative. The agencies emphasized Interlock’s rapid evolution and its focus on high-impact sectors, particularly healthcare.

    According to the advisory, Interlock emerged in September 2024 and has since launched financially motivated ransomware campaigns. The group employs a double-extortion model that involves both encrypting the victim’s system and stealing data, threatening to publish the stolen files if a ransom is not paid.

    The gang does not include ransom demands in its initial notes. Instead, victims are given a unique code and directed to a .onion URL on the Tor network, where ransom negotiations take place.

    Federal investigators say Interlock actors are opportunistic rather than targeting specific industries. Still, healthcare organizations have been frequent victims. Among the most high-profile victims are Kettering Health, a major Ohio-based healthcare system, and Fortune 500 kidney care company DaVita. TechRepublic

  • 10-minute ambulance firm run by Blinkit begins offering paramedic training

    10-minute ambulance firm run by Blinkit begins offering paramedic training

    Zomato is building an in-house paramedic training programme to strengthen its ambitious 10-minute ambulance service, which is currently operational in Gurugram through its quick-commerce arm, Blinkit.

    “This is one of the hardest and the most resource intensive challenges we have ever taken up. But we are not backing down,” Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, July 24.

    “We started with 5 ambulances at the beginning of the year in Gurugram and currently, we have 12. From serving a small area around Golf Course Road, we have now extended the service to cover almost half of Gurugram. Until today, we have responded to 594 calls, 50% of these critical emergencies. Today, our 12 ambulances across 6 depots reach patients within 10 minutes, 83% of the time,” Goyal said.

    In a key line that signals future plans, he noted: “Our team is now building an in-house paramedic training programme to raise the bar of emergency care in India.” He further said: “We’re learning. We’re committed. And we won’t stop until every single person trusts that life-saving help is only 10 minutes away.”

    The service was launched by Blinkit on January 2, 2025, with a flat fee of ₹2,000 per call and ambulances equipped with essential life-saving tools, including oxygen cylinders, AEDs, stretchers, monitors, suction machines and emergency medicines.

    The ambulances come staffed with a paramedic, an assistant, and a trained driver.

    At the time of the launch, Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa had said: “Profit is not a goal here. We will operate this service at an affordable cost for customers and invest in really solving this critical problem for the long term.”

    “We aim to carefully scale this service and make it available in all major cities over the next two years,” Dhindsa had written on X.

    A day after the service was launched, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had cautioned that Blinkit must “meet the law of the land” and ensure all regulatory obligations are fulfilled while offering emergency and medical services.

    In an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18’s Shereen Bhan on January 20, Dhindsa had shared more on the company’s broader healthcare ambitions: “We are very keen to solve the problems around pharma and access to timely access to medicine,” he said, while acknowledging that Blinkit hadn’t yet entered the online pharmacy space due to legal complexities.

    “But we feel that it is a worthy cause — to try to figure out if we can do it while making sure the access to medication is available in a proper way,” he added. CNBCTV18

  • US opposes WHO’s reforms to the world’s health norms

    US opposes WHO’s reforms to the world’s health norms

    The United States has rejected amendments adopted in 2024 by members of the World Health Organization to its legally binding health rules aimed at improving preparedness for future pandemics following the disjointed global response to Covid-19.

    The Department of State and Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement they had transmitted on Friday the official US rejection of the amendments to the International Health Regulations, which were adopted by consensus last year.

    The amendments introduced a new category of “pandemic emergency” for the most significant and globally threatening health crises in an effort to shore up the world’s defenses against new pathogens.

    “Developed without adequate public input, these amendments expand the role of the WHO in public health emergencies, create additional authorities for the WHO for shaping pandemic declarations, and promote WHO’s ability to facilitate ‘equitable access’ of health commodities,” the US statement said.

    “Terminology throughout the 2024 amendments is vague and broad, risking WHO-coordinated international responses that focus on political issues like solidarity, rather than rapid and effective actions,” said the statement, jointly issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

    Kennedy, who has a long history of sowing doubt about vaccine safety, had slammed the WHO in a video address to the Assembly during its vote on a separate pandemic agreement, saying it had failed to learn from the lessons of the pandemic.

    That pact, which was adopted in Geneva in May after three years of negotiations, aims to ensure that drugs, therapeutics and vaccines are globally accessible when the next pandemic hits. It requires participating manufacturers to allocate a target of 20% of their vaccines, medicines and tests to the WHO during a pandemic to ensure poorer countries have access.

    US negotiators left discussions about the accord after President Donald Trump began a 12-month process of withdrawing the US – by far the WHO’s largest financial backer – from the agency when he took office in January. Its exit means the US would not be bound by the pact.

    Kennedy and Rubio said on Friday that their rejection protects US sovereignty. The IHR amendments and the parallel pandemic pact leave health policy to national governments and contain nothing that overrides national sovereignty, however. Reuters

  • EHRS must fix gaps in analytics tool rules

    EHRS must fix gaps in analytics tool rules

    The HIMSS Electronic Health Record Association has responded to a new request for information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, seeing it as a critical opportunity to examine regulations that don’t reflect current technology or market realities, and to correct “misaligned” approaches to rulemaking.

    The EHRA submitted comments about its reform and deregulatory priorities to the HHS in response to its RFI, “Ensuring Lawful Regulation and Unleashing Innovation To Make America Healthy Again Request for Information.”

    Why it matters
    The coalition of health technology vendors has long held that an expansion of Food & Drug Administration oversight of medical device regulation to technology already subject to oversight through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Certification Program is beyond the statutory boundaries of the 21st Century Cures Act.

    “As the federal government seeks to modernize its regulatory approach and support innovation across healthcare, we urge HHS to focus on clarity, alignment with statutory intent and the elimination of low-value or duplicative regulatory requirements,” the EHR Association said in its July 14 comment letter.

    The organization’s position is that EHR systems should not be regulated as medical devices, and certain guidance issued in 2022 is having “a chilling effect on developers’ willingness to invest” in tools needed to support public health and value-based care programs.

    “The EHR Association urges HHS to rescind the FDA’s Final Guidance on Clinical Decision Support Software, which clearly conflicts with the seven principles outlined in Executive Order 14219,” the organization said.

    “Most notably, the guidance lacks statutory grounding, introduces legal ambiguity, imposes excessive costs and deters innovation.”

    Instead, the EHR Association said the FDA should “reinstate or revise the 2019 draft guidance” to “explicitly exclude CDS functionality embedded in certified EHRs” and eliminate new regulatory constructs, including time-critical decision-making and automation bias, introduced in the latest guidance.

    The trade organization also said other HHS regulations and policies also fall within the deregulatory scope outlined in the Trump administration’s Executive Order 14212.

    These include clarifying Predetermined Change Control Plans requirements, addressing bias in classifying products as devices that impose user fees, modifying outdated HIT certification testing tools and better defining certain interoperability requirements.

    The organization also urged HHS to clarify electronic case reporting requirements – automated reporting of public health conditions, including chronic disease indicators – and “provide adequate funding and technical support” for the Centers for Disease Control and state, tribal, local and territorial authorities.

    “Instead of deregulation in this case, success relies on stability, coordination and capacity building,” the EHR Association said.

    The larger trend
    The FDA said in January that while it is committed to deploying new medical devices faster, it will take a science-based approach to its requirements for medical devices powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning.

    Then, in April, the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy updated guidance that healthcare organizations use to assess and optimize the safety of their EHRs. The 2025 Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience Guides contain CURES Act revisions, including the use of AI for clinical care, cybersecurity and integration of FDA-approved medical device data into EHRs.

    On the record
    “As the federal government seeks to modernize its regulatory approach and support innovation across healthcare, we urge HHS to focus on clarity, alignment with statutory intent, and the elimination of low-value or duplicative regulatory requirements,” the EHRA said in its letter. “The recommendations in this response reflect the practical realities our member companies face in delivering high-quality, interoperable and patient-centered digital health tools.” Healthcare IT News

  • India’s GCCs arise into crucial parts of the global healthcare value chain

    India’s GCCs arise into crucial parts of the global healthcare value chain

    By 2030, GCCs in healthcare, life sciences sectors will increase to 160 centres from 100 now

    India’s Global Capability Centers (GCCs) have steadily evolved from cost-saving outposts to critical infrastructure in the global healthcare value chain. Nowhere is this transformation more evident than in the life sciences and healthcare (LSHC) sector – where digital health, regulatory services, and AI-enabled analytics are increasingly being delivered not just from India’s metros, but from cities once considered peripheral to the innovation map.

    Tier-2 cities are not merely absorbing overflow. They are actively stepping into the spotlight. Today, India hosts over 100 LSHC GCCs, employing more than 280,000 professionals. By 2030, that number is expected to reach 160 centers and over 420,000 employees. The shift underway is not just quantitative. It is geographic. And strategic as well.

    “Tier-2 cities are emerging as ideal candidates for housing next-generation LSHC GCCs,” Ritu Baliya, Associate Director – Strategy, Healthark Insights, told The Hans India. “Strong policy support, sector-specific academic pipelines, and improving infrastructure are enabling global enterprises to expand with confidence – not just at lower cost, but with greater long-term alignment”. Ritu Baliya, with over 10 years of experience, has been advising life sciences and healthcare clients worldwide on strategy and market insights. She also supports the growth of Global Capability Centers by helping organizations tap into India’s evolving innovation and talent ecosystem.

    From Kochi to Warangal, Vadodara to Coimbatore, a new network of cities is rewriting the operational map for life sciences capability. These urban centers are now offering what once only metros could: talent continuity, access to clinical and regulatory institutions, and robust digital infrastructure. Importantly, they are doing so with lower attrition, higher workforce stability, and sharper sectoral focus. State governments have accelerated this trend by moving from generic IT policies to GCC-specific blueprints. Telangana, already a recognized tech leader, is seeing growing GCC activity in Warangal, Karimnagar, and Nizamabad, building on Hyderabad’s momentum. As per ANSR’s Q4’23 GCC report, 3 of 14 new GCCs and 7 of 29 expansions in India occurred in Telangana alone. This momentum is not accidental. With commercial property rates and power tariffs lower than in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka, and a data center pipeline expected to grow from 44 MW in 2023 to 128 MW by 2026, the state is creating the right conditions for digital health operations to flourish. It also helps that Telangana has the highest percentage of employable youth (18–21 years) in India, according to the Wheebox National Employability Test.

    Andhra Pradesh, too, is moving with intent. The state is positioning Visakhapatnam as a strategic Tier-2 hub for LSHC GCCs by offering rental subsidies of`2,000 per seat for 24 months, power incentives for five years, and housing and education allowances of up to`1 lakh per employee. Combined with an affordable, trained talent pool and a growing appetite for public-private collaboration, AP’s model is quietly gaining traction.

    In Gujarat, the state’s life sciences backbone is being augmented with policy muscle. Gujarat’s vision includes attracting 250 new GCCs, creating over 50,000 jobs, and securing Rs 10,000 crore in investments. GCCs operating in the state benefit from 100 per cent electricity duty waivers for five years, 80 per cent reimbursement of quality certification fees, and provident fund reimbursements – 100 per cent for female employees and 75 per cent for male employees. For companies operating in regulatory affairs, R&D, and clinical operations, Gujarat offers both capability and continuity.

    Tamil Nadu is driving a MedTech and digital health GCC agenda with Rs 2,295 crore allocated toward expanding operations beyond Chennai. Coimbatore, Madurai, and Trichy are seeing early momentum as the state leverages its industrial legacy, IT base, and deep manufacturing ecosystem to attract global healthcare enterprises. Ongoing investments in IT parks and industrial corridors are reinforcing this long-term intent.

    Even states that were previously outside the GCC narrative are making credible plays. Uttar Pradesh, for instance, has introduced a targeted GCC policy aimed at channeling investment into Lucknow and Kanpur – home to premier institutions like CDRI and SGPGI. Companies setting up in eligible zones receive land subsidies of up to 50 per cent, 100 per cent stamp duty exemptions, and capital investment subsidies. With foundational infrastructure in place and a large workforce base, UP is building a research-oriented positioning that complements its demographic scale.

    The corporate response has been pragmatic – and increasingly bold. In Kochi, Aster DM Healthcare’s Rs 850 crore investment reflects confidence in Kerala’s strategic push toward high-impact healthcare. The Invest Kerala Global Summit has spotlighted Kochi’s readiness for innovation-driven GCCs. In Coimbatore, firms are experimenting with digital twin models – simulating drug processes, piloting MedTech innovations, and fine-tuning delivery strategies before global rollouts. Vadodara, long a stalwart of the pharmaceutical industry, is attracting attention from global players looking to scale regulatory and analytics capabilities outside saturated metros. And Warangal – powered by its proximity to Hyderabad, NIT-trained talent, and operational setups by LTI Mindtree and Genpact – is becoming a blueprint for how smaller cities can host enterprise-critical operations.

    “The attractiveness of Tier-2 cities lies not just in cost arbitrage,” Baliya notes. “It’s in the growing belief that operational excellence and innovation maturity can be achieved outside traditional hubs – with the right partners, policies, and infrastructure.” This shift is more than a footnote in India’s GCC evolution. It signals the emergence of a broader, more resilient ecosystem – one that supports diversification, accelerates hiring, and anchors capability where it’s most scalable. For global life sciences companies, Tier-2 cities offer a rare trifecta: affordability, depth, and dependability.

    Importantly, this decentralization aligns closely with India’s macroeconomic ambitions. As Telangana and other forward-looking states aspire toward the $1 trillion economy mark, the integration of Tier-2 cities into the global services grid isn’t just an operational play – it’s a national strategy. It widens the talent funnel, localizes innovation, and deepens India’s relevance in global healthcare supply chains.

    As the healthcare industry becomes more data-intensive, digitally managed, and globally distributed, Tier-2 cities are no longer the second option. They are rising – with intent, with talent, and with a model that fits the future of healthcare delivery. The Hans India