special story
INDIA ENVISIONS A
GLOBAL BIOPHARMA HUB
In a major push to the biopharmaceutical research and development in
India, the government has launched a national mission worth US$ 250
million to create a huge competitive sector in the country
T
EDITED BY SAYONI RAUTELA
he country’s major
concerns around
barriers to affordable
healthcare are being
tried to be addressed
through various
schemes and programmes by the
government. Yet the attempts
appear to be confined to offering
local and limited solutions with
no futuristic guarantee. However,
the latest effort to address the
issue at its core i.e. research and
development to create affordable
indigenous drugs is a giant leap in
right direction.
In a bid to create a globally
competitive biopharmaceutical
industry, the union minister for
science and technology, Dr Harsh
Vardhan launched the Innovate in
India (I3) program on 30th June
2017 in New Delhi. The 250 million
USD program of the Department
of Biotechnology (DBT), ministry
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BioVoiceNews | July 2017
of science and technology; is a
first- of-its-kind mission that brings
together industry and academia
to promote entrepreneurship and
indigenous manufacturing in the
biopharmaceutical sector. This
flagship program of the Indian
government in collaboration with
World Bank, will be implemented
by Biotechnology Industry Research
Assistance Council (BIRAC), a
Public Sector Enterprise, set up by
DBT.
Giving a sneak peek on what to
expect from the mission, Dr Harsh
Vardhan stated “This Mission is
anticipated to be a game changer
for the Indian Biopharmaceutical
industry. It aspires to create an
enabling ecosystem to promote
entrepreneurship and indigenous
manufacturing in the sector”.
The programme will specifically
focus on the development of
new vaccines, bio-therapeutics,