Currently, the spend on R&D as a percentage of GDP is just 0.9%
The intention of the government is to cap prices of drugs that are essential and which the public widely uses.
The western world had largely considered India to be a production hub, and also, a good potential geography for clinical trials, and a big market. But in Covid-19 research, Indian companies and government researchers are also researching new drug candidates and potential vaccines, says Prosenjit Datta.
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In a letter to health minister Harsh Vardhan, the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, an industry body representing leading pharma companies, including Sun Pharma, Lupin, Dr Reddy's Labs, Cadila Health and Glenmark, stressed the need for an out-of-court settlement with health activists fighting for the rights of clinical trial participants.
The government said that "in exercise of extraordinary powers in public interest, conferred by paragraph 19 of the DPCO, 2013", the ceiling prices of 21 key formulations had been increased. These formulations include common medicines like BCG vaccines, penicillin, malaria and leprosy medicines (Dapsone), life-saving drugs like Furosemide (used to treat fluid build-up due to heart failure, liver scarring, or kidney disease), vitamin C, some common antibiotics, and anti-allergy medicines.
Multinational organizations including PepsiCo and industry associations like IPA, have come in favour of India's intellectual property regime, which is being reviewed by the US administration.
The scaling up of the India-US strategic partnership to the level of non-NATO ally with defence deals, sharing and transfer of defence technology, interoperability, joint collaboration and joint production of defence equipment has exacerbated Moscow's anxiety, notes Rup Narayan Das.
Besides opposing the suspension of three medicines, the sector has also questioned the process adopted by the government.
WHRL was founded in 1990 by Nobel laureate Sir John Vane to fund the research works at William Harvey Research Institute, one of the leading centres in the world for pharmacological research.
A notice issued by the Indian Health Ministry at the weekend said that a government-appointed committee of experts had found that the banned combinations were "likely to involve risk to human beings, whereas safer alternatives to the said drug are available."
Indian auto and pharma industries import several critical components and raw materials from China.
The $66 million (Rs 272.8 crore) Leiner Health Products is likely to sue DRL for the early divorce (the agreement has lasted only four years) from the alliance.
The next hearing on Pfizer's plea is slated for March 21
India had been engaged in a contentious battle with the US over the issue, especially in the pharmaceutical sector.
The impact from NELM on the Indian pharmaceutical sector is estimated to be around Rs 6,000 crore.
Exports declined for the fourth-consecutive month by 10.3 per cent year-on-year to $34.98 billion in May, while the trade deficit widened to a five-month high of $22.12 billion. According to the data released by the commerce ministry on Thursday, key export sectors recording negative growth include petroleum products, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, ready-made garments of all textiles and chemicals. Imports also declined 6.6 per cent, six-month in a row, to $57.1 billion against $61.13 billion in the same month last year, the data showed.
Under the current administration, political attitudes toward IP seem to have improved.
Dispute over IPR was a bone of contention in bilateral ties till a couple of months ago.
Roadblocks ahead as these medicines could face new clinical tests, more scrutiny
One reason Japan is betting highly on Indian pharma is that these companies have strong cash flows, low leverage and high debt capacity for medium to large sized acquisitions.
India must be prepared to deal with climate disasters, geopolitical confrontations, and social strife linked to global events, asserts Jayant Sinha, chairman of Parliament's Standing Committee on Finance.
Many companies globally are working on plasma research to develop and manufacture hyperimmune globulin therapies from plasma donations.
'Gift-giving' - from free dinners and drug samples to promotional merchandise - seems to be driving drugmakers' marketing - a marketing prescription deeply entrenched in the industry. This is a well-oiled racket that sees pharmaceutical (pharma) companies 'gifting' doctors to push their respective drugs under the guise of marketing. But is there a cure in sight to end this unhealthy alliance? The recent controversy following the income-tax raids on Bengaluru-based drugmaker Micro Labs, makers of popular paracetamol brand Dolo-650, has brought this to the fore, again.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority will soon notify prices of as many as 150 packs of essential medicines in line with the new pharma pricing policy, according to official sources.
More lucrative routinely prescribed drugs are at higher risk of failing quality standards
The category is expected to cross Rs 38,400 crore by 2020.
Gates, who is to attend the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting, on Monday said there is reason to be optimistic than ever about the future progress using vaccines to give all children a healthy start to life.
Next week, US Secretary of State John Kerry travels to India for the fourth annual US-India Strategic Dialogue
The founders of Gland Pharma, led by Ravi Penmetsa, and KKR, together own 96 per cent of the company.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that international travel should be made easier through mutual recognition of vaccine certificates, amid several countries adopting different sets of rules to allow foreigners to enter their territory in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Companies that are developing biosimilars (for regulated markets) or have portfolio of new chemical entities (NCEs) under development.
The government is considering setting up air freight stations to enable direct movement of vaccines from pharmaceutical factories to the aircraft.
Indian pharma company Lupin has acquired 80 per cent stake in Kyowa Pharmaceutical Industry (Kyowa), one of the top 10 generic pharmaceutical companies in Japan, for an undisclosed amount.
What is foreign policy worth if it stands disconnected from domestic realities? Make no mistake, the horrifying visuals of the human suffering in metropolitan India is only the tip of the iceberg. The vast swathes of the hinterland are heaving with untold sorrows, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
US drug maker Merck & Co has terminated its nearly two-year-old alliance with Ranbaxy Laboratories to develop anti-infective medicines, which could have fetched the Indian firm $100 million over a period of five years.
The year also witnessed Mumbai-based Sun Pharmaceutical continue the tussle for taking over Israeli drug firm Taro, while MNCs struck alliances with Indian companies to capitalise on generics expertise in New Delhi.
The company has set an affordable ceiling price of USD 3 (around Rs 225) per dose, it added.
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