India, Oct. 1 -- image credit- shutterstock

The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDPA) is a law that primarily affects and benefits people and organisations that deal with personal data. From tech giants to hospitals, from law firms to educational boards, the law places clear obligations on all those processing personal data. Healthcare, pharma, and biotech companies are no exception. While much attention has been drawn to how social media companies are affected, the impact on healthcare, pharma, and biotech sectors has not been adequately analysed.

Many such companies believe that the research exemption under Section 17(2)(b) of the DPDPA will save them from onerous compliance. But that belief may be flawed. In this article...