BIO India conference
US
and Indian biotech industry find common ground on key issues
L-R-Thomas
Watkins, Kiran Mazumdar, Alan Eisenberg, Dr Murli
Mumbai, September 12,
2012: The 3rd annual BIO
India conference, organized by
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) in partnership with Association of
Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE) saw the industry body addressing key issues
in tandem with major industry players. At BIO India International Conference
2012, views were expressed on public policies that are intended to bring about
innovation, collaboration and investment in the biotech sector, particularly
strong intellectual property (IP) protections and regulatory
mechanisms.
The industry captains
led by Kiran Mazumdar – Shaw, Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon, H. Thomas
Watkins, Former President & CEO, Human Genome Sciences, Inc along with
industry organization heads – Alan Eisenberg, Executive Vice President, Emerging
Companies and Business Development, BIO and P M Murali, President, ABLE lay
thread bare issues like strong
intellectual property as well as patent enforcement, strong tax and regulatory
system, strong support for R&D, streamlined safety and efficacy testing and
approval process.
The participants agreed
that they do not believe that the compulsory licensing of innovative products or
technology generally is an effective means of promoting access or affordability
of healthcare. Moreover, it undermines incentives for companies and individuals
to innovate in India , since it creates uncertainty about
receiving economic returns for their innovations, they said. Indiscriminate use
of compulsory licenses would thus jeopardize India ’s goal of
developing a research oriented biotechnology industry, and is unsound policy,
according to participants.
All participants agreed
that the issuance of India ’s Guidelines on Similar Biologics is a
step in the right direction. “The guidelines recognize the scientific and
regulatory complexities presented by the development and manufacture of biologic
medicines. What follows next is industry collaboration in the implementation of
these guidelines in a manner that continues to protect patient safety and ensure
continued research and development of new cures and treatments,” said Alan
Eisenberg. However, he pointed out that India needs to
recognize scientific differences
between small molecule therapeutics and biologics. The US
industry represented by BIO urged the Government of India to include
substantial non-patent data exclusivity in its policy and respect
intellectual property and other legal rights. All participants agreed
that there is scope for continued discussion and collaboration on these key
issues.
The two-day conference
will offer opportunity for large and small biotech companies to gather in one
place and engage in partnering discussions with biotech leaders from around the
world. On Wednesday, a fireside chat on the future of development and production
of vaccines in India was held and featured Dr. Cyrus
Poonawalla as a panelist.
On Thursday, a program
session on ‘Commercializing Stem Cell Therapies and Regenerative Medicine’ will
be held with B.N. Manohar, Managing Director and CEO, Stempeutics Research Pvt.
Ltd., Virender S. Sangwan, Associate Director, L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI)
and Chandra Viswanathan, Head of Regenerative Medicines Group, Reliance Life
Sciences as panelists. A keynote and plenary luncheon on ‘Strategies for
Success: India’s Global Role in Innovation’ will also be held on Thursday with
Achin Gupta, Director, Strategic Planning, Abbott Laboratories, Phil Kearney,
Director, External Scientific Affairs, Worldwide Licensing, Merck, Chaitanya
Saxena, CEO, Shantani Proteome Analytics, Renu Swarup, Adviser, Department of
Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India and
Holly Vineyard, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa, the Middle East, and
South Asia, US Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration as
panelists.
BIO
represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state
biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United
States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members
are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare,
agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also
produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the
biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering
meetings held around the world. BIO produces Biotech NOW, an online portal and
monthly newsletter chronicling “innovations transforming our world.”
ABLE–
Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises is a national forum that represents
the Indian Biotechnology Sector. The primary objective of ABLE is to accelerate
the pace of growth of the Biotechnology Industry in India, through partnering
with the Government of India in their Biotechnology initiatives to deliver
optimal policies and create a positive regulatory environment, encouraging
entrepreneurship and investment in the sector, providing a platform for domestic
and overseas companies to explore collaborations and partnerships, forging
stronger links between academia and industry and showcasing the strengths of the
Indian biotech sector. ABLE thus catalyses a symbiotic interface between the
industry, the government, academic and research institutes and domestic and
international investors.
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