PHARMA LITERATI

The government plans to ring in regulatory changes to give more tax and other incentives to pharmaceutical companies that set up research and development (R&D) base in India. The government has reached out to some of the top pharma companies and sought feedback on the kind of tax sops and other boosters for R&D investment in India. Industry trackers said the government could be giving out specific tax sops for specialised research in certain categories, and is analysing how tax sops could impact the sector and future tax revenues. Industry experts said the cost of arriving at healthcare innovation and the efforts required are very high due to the unpredictability of the outcomes of clinical trials. The 200% exemption on the R&D was a big draw for several companies up until now. Earlier, companies used to get the tax rebate on R&D expenditure. Government has been negotiating with companies on whether these rebates are required anymore now that overall c...

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...

India's current research scene is at an inflexion point. Intellectual Property (IP) filing from academia and start-ups are rising and so is the same from med-tech, pharmaceutical corporate research houses, said Dr. Satish Prasad Rath, chief of innovation, Aster Innovation and Research Centre. The country's research activities are in a phase to translate these IPs to sustainable businesses. This can be done through open innovation in collaborative model. The objective is to position ourselves as a potent catalyst in this changing scenario, he added. Some of the visible trends that one sights in this space are newer inventions like affordable cloud, connectivity, Internet of Things (IoT) that are making preventive and out-of-hospital care a reality. It is important to note that it should be technically feasible. Appropriate applications of this will make this a business reality too. So far hospitals have been using the technologies. Going forward, the healthcare sector shoul...

In order to have a proper understanding of various formulation procedures for the upcoming pharmacy professionals, the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Hyderabad has delved into the role of nano-crystals in the process of formulation development during a workshop hosted at its campus. Experts from various pharmaceutical backgrounds spoke on the topic of nanotechnology, its potentials and pitfalls during the programme.  According to Dr. Nalini Shastri, convener at NIPER Hyderabad, “The main objective of the workshop is to spread knowledge about the emerging trends and opportunities available in market for the pharmaceutical graduates.” “We organised this workshop keeping in mind the need for up-gradation of knowledge to the professional pharmacists both working in the industry and to the teaching faculty. It is mainly targeted at young pharmacy teachers with a view to give practical tips and hands on training in the area of emerging trends in ...