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Healthcare and pharmaceutical reporting demands the ability to translate complex medical science into clear, accessible language, said P.T. Jyothi Datta, a senior journalist with nearly three decades of experience covering the sector at The Hindu Business Line.
Addressing students during a lecture on health and pharma journalism, Datta said the beat requires scientific sensitivity and deep subject understanding, given its direct impact on public health and patient outcomes. She emphasized the importance of consulting medical and scientific experts to ensure accuracy and avoid misrepresentation.
Datta cited Cipla’s introduction of a low-cost triple antiretroviral therapy—combining stavudine, lamivudine and nevirapine—as a landmark moment that expanded access to AIDS treatment across Africa. She also pointed to more recent controversies, including incidents involving contaminated cough syrups, which brought renewed scrutiny on drug quality, manufacturing standards and regulatory oversight.
She outlined core areas of pharmaceutical journalism, including drug quality and safety, patent regimes, pricing, corporate financial performance and the ethical dimensions of healthcare delivery. Coverage, she noted, increasingly sits at the intersection of science, policy and business.
Datta added that reporters must be familiar with key legislation shaping the industry, such as the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, the Patents Act and the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, which govern how medicines are developed, marketed and promoted.
A comprehensive understanding of these factors, she said, is essential to delivering balanced and responsible coverage of one of the most consequential reporting beats.