Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, is the fifth largest city in India, with an ancient culture and civilization. Described as the City of Minarets, few cities in the country can claim the unique position that Hyderabad occupies in Indian history. Here art and architecture, culture and custom, race and religion amorphised into a unique blend. Over the centuries, this blend evolved itself into a great cultural landscape that is varied but integrated. The 16th century origin (having built the city in the year 1586) gives the city an old world charm created by the towers of the Charminar, the domes of the Kutub Shahi tombs or the walls of Chowmohalla which are all now surrounded by 20th century bustle. Mosques and minarets, forts and palaces of great beauty exist side by side with colleges and art galleries, public gardens and administrative buildings, offering a rare visual variety to please even the most demanding of visitors. The Hitec City is the latest that adds a new age look to this historical citadel of waves of Muslim conquerors.
Unlike other cities of India, Hyderabad possesses a peculiar culture of its own. This is mainly due to the fact that it is the meeting place of the different peoples of India. Here one finds all the states represented. Ethnically, it is a miniature India, the meeting place for north and south. It is a city where one can still find the authentic Nawabi life style, the gracious courtliness of the princely era and the profound, almost mystic, charm of the east. The several streams of linguistic culture have mingled through the years and developed in the city a unique eastern cosmopolitanism that is fascinating.
In the last 25 years, Hyderabad has seen tremendous growth in the fields of Information Technology, pharmaceutiucals, biotechnology, healthcare, business management etc. Besides the No.1 position it enjoys in the field of IT (which is being disputed by Bangalore), Hyderabad has emerged as the pharma and biotech hub and the healthcare capital of India. The city is a complete solution provider of international standards for all the areas concerned with pharmaceuticals, including biopharma, contract research, clinical trials, bioinformatics, healthcare, diagnostics and top class chemical and biological research. And it is a rare honour for the city to host the current 57th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC) in the new IPR regime.
The revolution in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors that the city has witnessed recently was made possible by the existence of a number of world class research institutions in the city like the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), which is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee, the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), which has celebrated its Silver Jubilee recently, the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), an extension of CCMB, the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), doing research on health food and new trends in food processing, the Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (IDPL), which is now struggling for its survival after producing some real gems in the pharmaceutical sector, including Dr Anji Reddy of the Dr Reddy's Lab., the L V Prasad Eye Institute, possibly the best in Asia, the Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), an autonomous institute which is on par with the AIIMS, New Delhi, Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL), a subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board, that is in the animal vaccine research, and several Regional Research Laboratories. With the back-up of these world class research institutions, Hyderabad today is home for several leading pharmaceutical companies like Dr Reddy's Lab., Aurobindo Pharma, Matrix Labs, Divi's Labs, Natco Pharma, Neuland Labs, Gland Pharma etc. There are a record number of over 500 pharma companies manufacturing bulk drugs and formulations in the state.
The pharmaceuticals and the biotech sectors received a shot in the arm during the 10-year rule of the Telugu Desam under Chief Minister Chadrababu Naidu. His Vision 2020 gave a kick-start to several projects, including the Genome Valley, ICICI Knowledge Park, the Shapoorji Pallonji Biotech Park, besides the proposed Pharma City in Visakhapatnam. Under the Genome Valley, about 600 sq.km area, covering parts of Hyderabad and its surroundings, has been reserved for the pharma and biotech units. No industry emitting pollutants will be allowed in Genome Valley. The ICICI Knowledge Park, promoted by the ICICI Bank, provides research facilities to start-up biotech companies under one roof. The Park has completed two phases of 20 state-of-the-art modules each, ranging from 1,000 sq.ft to 2,000 sq.ft, and are fully sold out. When completed, the Park will have about 100 modules and will be one of the best in the world. The Park is also setting up the US Pharmacopoeia Lab.
The adjoining Shapoorji Pallonji Biotech Park, which is still under development, is also attracting biotech, life sciences and diagnostic units. The Biotech Park is setting up a biotech incubation centre in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and IICT. An Indian Institute of Life Sciences and a national animal resource facility are also on the anvil. The Pharma City is coming up near Visakhapatnam and is attracting even large pharmaceutical companies to set up shop there. All these projects were cleared during the period of Chandrababu Naidu.
If Dr Reddy's Lab., Aurobindo Pharma, Matrix Labs and Natco Pharma have found a place for Hyderabad in the world map, Shantha Biotechnics and Bharat Biotech have brought laurels for the city in the Biotech sector. In the year 1997, Varaprasada Reddy, an engineer by qualification, started Shantha Biotechnics in Hyderabad. With assistance from CCMB, the company produced India's first 'recombinant' vaccine for hepatitis-B, and called it Shanvac B. Before Shanvac B hit the market, the hepatitis-B vaccine was being imported by multinational companies and a single dose cost Rs 800. Shanvac B costs just Rs 40 for a single dose. In 2002, Shantha Biotechnics used similar 'recombinant' technology to launch interferon Alfa 2b, Shanferon.This is the only drug of its kind to be developed, produced and marketed by an Indian company.
Meanwhile, scientist Krishna Ella, who started Bharat Biotech International Ltd in Hyderabad, also came out with a 'recombinant' hepatitis-B vaccine, bringing down the price further. He also used the genetic cut-and-paste expertise to launch a clot-busting drug, streptokinase. This enzyme is a first line therapy for diseases ranging from acute myocardial infarction to deep vein thrombosis, arterial occlusion and pulmonary embolism. There are about 80 biotech companies in the state, prominent among them being Biological Evans, Transgene Biotek, Unique Biotech, Bioserve Biotechnologies and Saamya Biotech and Magene Life Sciences.
Hyderabad is also becoming popular destination for contract manufacturing, contract research and clinical research with companies of national and global standards emerging in the city. Leading companies in this sector are Divi's Labs, Vimta Labs, GVK Bio Sciences and Sipra Labs. Suven Life Sciences of Venkat Jasti bets high on CRAMS model and has achieved tremendous success. In the bioinformatics front, Ocimum Biosolutions, GVK Bio Sciences and Helix Genomics are in the frontline. Research institutions like IICT and CDFD have also created specific divisions for bio-informatics research and services.
In the healthcare sector, it was Dr C Pratap Reddy, who set the new trend of building corporate hospitals by starting the Apollo group of hospitals in the early 1980s. By setting up world class facilities in his hospitals, he has reversed the trend of Indians going abroad for treatment. Now, patients from not only the Gulf, African and South Asian countries, but also from the European countries come to India for complicated surgeries which are done at a very reasonable and affordable cost. Apollo Hospitals are functioning in every important city in India. The group has also opened facilities in Sri Lanka and in the Gulf. Following the lead given by Apollo, several state-of-the-art hospitals have come up in Hyderabad like CARE Hospital, MediCiti, Yashoda, Kamineni, Global, Image, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Indo-American Cancer Institute and L V Prasad Eye Institute.
As the pharmaceutical industry in the country was growing by leaps and bounds, and also the exports picked up substantially, there arose the need for setting up a body to promote pharmaceutical exports. So far, this was handled by the Chemical Export Promotion Council, Chemexcil, in short. The demand for setting up a separate export promotion council for the pharma sector, Pharmexcil, was conceded by the Union Government, but there was a tie for setting up the council in Mumbai or in Hyderabad. The issue had been resolved and it was decided that Pharmexcil would have its headquarters in Hyderabad, while the Chairman would be based in Mumbai. Associations related to the pharma sector like the Bulk Drugs Manufacturers Association, the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, the Insurance Regulatory Authority and the Pharmaceutical Formulations Manufacturers Association are also based in Hyderabad.
The real international recognition came when the Bill Gates Foundation selected Andhra Pradesh for the child immunisation programme and donated $100 million.