PHARMA LITERATI

Innovation will be the key driver for the pharma industry going forward and make India the pharmacy of the world, says Pankaj Patel, chairman, Cadila Healthcare. He was speaking at the India Pharmaceutical Forum, organised by the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IP Alliance) in Mumbai recently. “Where we are today is because of our capability to make the best generics. The pharma industry should work towards bridging unmet medical needs,” Patel added. The CEO Panel on Patient Centricity and Integrated Quality Management by the CEOs of Lupin, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Cadila Healthcare, and Cipla reflected thoughts on the Indian pharmaceutical industry’s current standing and the path ahead. Nilesh Gupta, managing director, Lupin Ltd. said, “There have been quite many changes in the pharmaceutical market globally and in India. There are a host of opportunities, which come with their own unique challenges. All the members of the IP Alliance came together to discuss an...

In the past 20 years, there have been a staggering number of new medical devices and health care innovations that have helped to improve human health. From robotic surgical systems to Fitbits, these medical advances leverage cutting-edge technology to help us manage our health and prevent, detect and treat a variety of illnesses. The demand for health care innovation is showing no sign of slowing. Technology is becoming ever-more advanced and medical researchers are becoming more adept at using it in unexpected ways. Here are 9 health care innovations that need to be on your radar: Breast cancer detection in a bra.  Inspired by his mother’s ongoing battle with breast cancer, 18-year-old Julian Rios Cantu of Mexico collaborated with 3 friends to develop a bra that can detect breast changes that may signal the onset of cancer. The bra, known as EVA, was developed by Rios Cantu’s company, Higia Technologies, and won him the top prize at the Global Student Entrepreneur Aw...

A new “smart needle” has been developed by scientists to detect cancerous tissue using light. The researchers, funded by The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)’s Invention for Innovation programme, created a technology dubbed the “smart needle”, a probe that can identify cancerous tissues or cells “almost instantly.” The probe works by using a technique called “Raman spectroscopy”, which consists of shining a low power laser onto tissue and measuring the light reflected back. So far the probe has been tested on 68 patient samples in the laboratory, showing it can differentiate between healthy and cancerous tissue. Made up of fibre-optics encased within a fine needle, the probe can look for cancer under the skin’s surface in areas such as the neck. Healthy tissue gives a different signature of reflected light from cancerous tissue, and research shows it is possible to detect a “fingerprint” of the disease that can be used to spot cancerous tissue in a few second...

Beyond epharmacy, 1mg has expanded into doctor consultations and diagnostic lab services As per DataLabs by Inc42 estimates, the total capital invested in epharma startups has been $361 Mn (2014-H1 2019) 1mg cofounder Gaurav Agarwal said the company has over 12 projects live that use proprietary AI and ML models      Online pharmacy startups such as 1mg, Pharmeasy, Netmeds and Medlife made medicines more easily available in a wider distribution area. On the other end, Practo, Lybrate, Portea, mfine, and DocsApp sprouted up in the telemedicine and diagnostics space to make access to doctors easier,and gradually, healthtech startups have changed the face of Indian healthcare over the past five years.      As per DataLabs by Inc42 estimates, the total capital invested in startups operating in the epharma space between 2015 to H1 2019 is $361 Mn. The total capital inflow in the online pharmacy startups combined makes up around 20% of the total capit...

To improve the ultimate health outcomes for patients and enhance their overall experience at all its facilities,  Aster DM Healthcare  is setting up  Aster Innovation and Research Centre  in GCC and India. Over the next three years, the centre will aim to achieve key milestones like the introduction of innovative solutions for home healthcare with a focus on  digital primary care , establishing a rich eco-system of digital health partners from start-ups to academia and starting digital health/ informatics/ medicine as a stream for future healthcare workers. Joining as the Chief of Innovation, Dr Satish Prasad Rath, MD would be spearheading the innovation projects, that will be aiming to leverage the advances in digital health research like AI,  cognitive psychology ,  blockchain , IoT, behavioral economics, etc. and on-board start-ups which can drive innovation. The centre will also work in a collaborative manner focusing on applied rese...

Visit:  https://www.ariia.gov.in/ to know more. 

The Indian Government has been very active in boosting growth and investment in Indian pharmaceutical industry To push India into top five pharmaceutical innovation hubs by 2020 and establish global presence by launching one out of every five to 10 drugs discovered in India at global level, the government is preparing for multi-billion dollar investment with 50 per cent public funding through its public private partnership (PPP) model to enhance innovation capability, reveals the joint study. The Indian Government has been very active in boosting growth and investment in Indian pharmaceutical industry. It allows 100 per cent FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) under automatic route (without prior permission) in the pharmaceuticals sector. FDI favourably impacts the Indian pharma industry by providing access to more capital/funds for investing in Research and Development, which in turn, leads to creation of more IPR, highlighted the study titled 'IPR in pharmaceuticals: Ba...

AICTE, DST and CII are jointly organizing India Innovation Initiative 2015 to promote entrepreneurship in the country by sensitizing, encouraging and facilitating innovators for commercialization of their innovations.   Topics among Life Sciences include, Bio-Informatics Bio-Pharma Bio-Tech    SN Activities Timelines 01 Start Date for Registration Open 02 Last Date of Receiving Entries for India Innovation Initiative 30th April, 2015 03 Announcement of Short-listed Names August, 2015 04 i3 National Fair     Knowledgexpo 2015 October, 2015   AWARDS i3 Award 1. i3 will recognize top 5 innovators and confer them prize money and certificate. 2. Young Indians (Yi) to recognize top 3 young innovators and confer them prize money and certificate Incubation and Funding su...