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India’s biotech industry emerging as world innovator, collaborator, competitor

A Canadian research paper submitted a few days back is reporting that India’s biotech industry is all set to emerge as a major global player buiding on cost efficiencies, innovation, and collaboration according to this interesting article.
The research points out standard stuff you would expect: for example, how Shantha Biotechnics of Hyderabad uses innovative and efficient manufacturing processes to produce a Hep-B vaccine at $0.50. This used to cost $15 earlier.

But it also points out other aspects that are more interesting. For example, the existence Indian “contract research organizations” which do specific research for and under the guidance of major western companies. Or that the Serum Institute of India in Pune supplies products to 138 different countries and claims to immunize half of the world’s children against several diseases.

But the paper also points out the danger that the Indian companies will focus too much on the lucrative western markets and neglect local illnesses and issues for which there is a pressing need to develop effective drugs locally. Historically, Indian companies have been the principal providers of vaccines and medicines for the major local killers like malaria and tuberculosis. And if these companies start producing Viagra, who will cater to the TB patients?

Read full article.