Veteran journalist Vikas Dandekar used his annual lecture at the Asian College of Journalism to explain how the pharma sector works and what it takes to become a good healthcare reporter. 

Pharma reporters need to master the art of following up so that they can be on top of big stories ahead of competition and own the beat, according to Dandekar, who is ET Prime’s Pharma & Healthcare Editor.

Dandekar explained key developments in the sector in the past year including how vaccines for COVID-19 were developed at a record pace.

He also talked about how lobbying works and how pharma companies often present data in a form that is hard to understand for bureaucrats. Most lobbying takes place in the United States as drug pricing is an election issue, he said.

He urged aspiring pharma and healthcare reporters to talk to all kinds of sources including epidemiologists, virologists and vaccine experts to have a comprehensive understanding while writing on pandemics and other global health issues.

Covering the pandemic made Dandekar and his colleagues understand that they were responsible to inform the public around the clock and not just during business hours.