Innovation is IN our DNA: Jatin Mahajan, J Mitra & Co.
WATCH and READ this exclusive interview with Mr. Jatin Mahajan, Managing Director of J Mitra & Co Pvt Ltd. – a Game Changer in the healthcare industry. With more than 55 patents, “India’s Patent King” J Mitra & Co is a force to reckon with in the medical diagnostic industry. Here, Mr. Jatin discusses how advanced diagnostics technologies powered by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning redefine healthcare. He also talks about J Mitra & Co.’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Jatin, under your leadership, J Mitra has become the leading IVD manufacturer in India. So, what’s next?
J Mitra & Co. was founded by my father, Mr. Lalit Mahajan – a graduate of IIT Madras. When he came out of IIT and started his medical business, he realized that most of the medical diagnostics products in India were imported, and the customers had to buy those products at an exorbitant cost. Moreover, the quality of those products was quite low and, at times, was not even performing as per the intended use. So, identifying the need-gap and the customers’ pain points, he established J Mitra & Co. – an R&D-driven in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) manufacturing company.
We ensure that most of our products address the four pillars – quality, R&D aspect, our pursuit of customer focus, and innovation. We like to set and raise the bar so that, ultimately, the customers get benefitted.
When I joined the business, most of the company’s products were already the market leaders in their space. So my mandate was to introduce systems into the company to fortify the existing market share of our current products and deploy technologies to have a deeper connection with the customers and patients. Our company’s vision is to serve mankind, and that can only happen through serving the customers by ensuring that they have a better quality of life and live a long life.
What are some of your breakthrough products?
So let me talk about the recent data we have had concerning the COVID-19 range of products. I believe that we are the only company in India and Asia to have seven products supporting the COVID-19 diagnosis along with the supplementary tests that we have. Some of these COVID-19 tests include neutralizing antibody test, total antibody test, Kawach test, rapid test, and antigen ELISA. In 2018, we had also launched iQuant – the state-of-the-art technology in collaboration with IIT Madras. It is a portable diagnostic solution designed to read multiple test kits and reads the calibration information directly from the test kit without needing a separate calibration chip. The beauty of this product is that it is a combination of machine learning and AI.
And you know, it is a product with features generally available in the high-end range of products. One more innovation that we have is TRI-DOT – a diagnostic test for detecting antibodies to Hepatitis B and C. We also have a Celiac test kit, both in rapid and ELISA format, for the qualitative detection of Celiac disease. So, we are the only company in India to have a Celiac range of products. We are also the only company in India to have the maximum patents for the diagnostic range of products. So, we can proudly say that innovation is incorporated deeply into our DNA.
Almost every industry across the spectrum got transformed due to COVID. So, how do you see the IVD industry will evolve post-COVID?
The perspective will be very positive, and I have a very positive outlook on the diagnostic industry because it has given us unique opportunities. Though the supply chain got initially impacted, the world is now looking at India as an alternative source of supplies for raw materials – be it pharmaceuticals or diagnostics. So, it’s a good time, and India needs to cash in on this opportunity.
Another realization has come in is to make India self-reliant, and the need of the hour is to make the raw materials for the diagnostic tests within the country. Then we can be a net exporter, and we can be the manufacturer of the world for pharmaceutical and diagnostic range production.
Also, many new technologies will emerge as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. So we will see better technologies coming up in a big way in the next couple of years.
Being a key player in the IVD industry, what’s your commitment to the industry?I’m happy to share that we are the oldest diagnostic company operating in India. We have delivered products with the highest quality standards, and we have earned the trust and the credibility of our customers. We have maximum patents in our product portfolio – no other company in India has more than 55 patents in our portfolio. My father, Mr. Lalit Mahajan, has been recognized as the “India’s Patent King” by the Wall Street Journal of New York.
We address the customer requirements by following the three strategies: affordability, accessibility, and availability. We offer advanced yet easy to access affordable technologies to Indian customers and ensure their availability at every nook and corner of the country. And we promise to continue with these objectives!
