New Delhi, Oct. 25 -- The pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors are entering a new wave of consolidation, with private equity (PE) firms and strategic buyers increasingly looking to build larger, scaled-up businesses through acquisitions and platform building, Subhakanta Bal, managing director and head of healthcare and consumer (India) at global financial advisory group Rothschild & Co., told Mint in an interview.

"If you think about private equity, especially the larger funds, I think the concept around platform building makes a lot of sense for several reasons," said Bal. First off is the scale benefit. Second, "scope to eke out efficiencies on procurement, supply chain, and overheads," he said. There is also the ability to invest in ...