R&D Grp To Prepare Pharmaceutical Sector For Product Patent Regime

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New Delhi, November 12: The government has set up a high-level research and development (R&D) group to look into the requirements of the industry post-2005 and prepare it for the time when product patents will be in force in India. The group has representations from leading domestic pharma companies including Ranbaxy, Dr Reddy’s Lab, Wockhardt, Sun Pharma and Torrent Pharma.

The group, which has been set up at the behest of the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers, will prepare a roadmap for R&D modernisation and will study the available models in other sectors as well. It will also draft a blueprint for the government’s consideration.

Its progress will be monitored by the chemical ministry and it is expected to be a time-bound programme which will help the industry achieve sustainable growth, feels the government.

At the first meeting of the group, held in October, the industry representatives called for creation of scientific and education infrastructure, knowledge management on intellectual property rights (IPR) and removal of restrictions on animal testing. The industry also stressed on the need to set up centres of excellence in R&D in the country, as they exist in developed countries.

Apart from the director, department of chemicals and petrochemicals (ministry of chemicals and fertilisers) as its convenor, the group has Rashmi Bharbhaiya, president (R&D) of Ranbaxy Laboratory; A Venkateswarlu, director at Dr Reddy’s Laboratories; Noel D’Souza, director (R&D) at Wockhardt; Amarjit Singh, executive V-P (R&D) of Sun Pharmaceuticals, Srikumar Suryanarayan, president (R&D) of Biocon and Chintaya Dutta, director (R&D) at Torrent Pharmaceuticals.

Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) is being represented by its secretary-general DG Shah, Indian Drug Manufacturers Association by its president Yogin Mazumdar and National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education Research (NIPER) by its director CL Kaul.