India is making efforts to gear up to be among the top five global biotech nations in the world. In the Asia-Pacific region, Australia conquered the top slot, followed by India and China. It is not difficult for India to emerge among the top five global countries in biotechnology going by the developments in 2006 because the country has an enormous competitive advantage and a resource pool in intellectual property.
According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report Australia's life science market has grown notably between 2001 and 2005 in areas like stem-cell biology immunology, bioinformatics or databases of biological information such as genome sequencing, and nanotechnology were all important areas. India is not far behind going by the biotechnology boom as companies have moved into high gear. From research, drug discovery-development, production, biopharmaceuticals, agri biotechnology, bio-supplies, clinical trail, contract manufacture to bioinformatics, the scene is vibrant and pulsating.
Biotechnology sector has generated a turnover of $1billion in 2005-06. Biopharmaceuticals alone has generated 75 percent of the revenues. Contract research, registered 55 percent growth and a nine percent contribution to the total industry turnover. The diagnostic sector will become a Rs 700 million industry by 2010 going by the tremendous development in the areas of kits and chip for early disease detection.
In the last two years, the sector has witnessed 25 collaborations among the large companies. Now the small-medium enterprises (SMEs) are scouting for constructive partnerships to spur further growth. Bangalore-based Biocon Ltd. introduced the much-awaited new drug BIOMAb EGFR to treat head and neck cancers. The first antibody product for cancer has been indigenously developed by Biocon a pioneering biotechnology company engaged in the manufacture of bio-molecules for healthcare, in collaboration with CIMAB, a Cuban Research Institute. The product is Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor antagonist targeting monoclonal antibody. This is Biocon's first proprietary product which as received the requisite regulatory approvals for commercial marketing in India and internationally.
Another step towards biotechnology progress is the capability by companies in the medium-sized segment with a turnover of around Rs. 50 crore like Avesthagen whose capability in innovative research in the pharma-agri space is being recognized for the Red Herring Award.
Biotech expertise
Indian companies have the expertise from the research, development, manufacture of indigenous recombinant hepatitis B vaccine by a number of companies like Serum Institute, Bharat Biotech, Shantha Biotechnics to advancement of a number of indigenous rDNA products like human insulin, growth hormone, G-CSF, interferons (alpha 2a &2b), erythropoetin. There have also been global patents which include a solid state fermentation called Plafactor by Biocon Limited. Also, US patents were granted for F-virosome drug delivery system for gene therapy and production of hydrophilic nanoparticle for drug delivery and European patents for rifampicin shuttle vectors in E-coli.
Another area of pursuance is the manufacture of indigenous HIV I&II detection rapid test kit using naked eye visible agglutination of the whole blood and a confirmatory Western Blot Test Kit utilizing Indian strain; development of various other indigenous diagnostic kits and transfer to industry by research institutes like the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS). XCyton Diagnostics, Bangalore has also been responsible for the development and production of such lab diagnostic kits.
"Innovation is a key to the production as well as processing of knowledge. A nation's ability to convert knowledge into wealth through the process of innovation will determine its future. In this perspective, exponential growth of scientific knowledge, increasing demands for new forms of intellectual property protection and dominance of the new knowledge economy are challenges before India,'' said Dr. R A Mashelkar Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the largest chain of publicly funded industrial research institutions in India.
The 37 percent growth garnered by the Indian biotechnology sector in 2005-06 could allow it to get at the top five slot without any problem because Indian scientists are working from a situation of bio-hype to bio-hope. The Biocon insulin (Insugen) and cancer drug (BIOMAb EGFR) are a case in point, added Dr. Mashelkar.
Prof. G Padmanabhan, scientist emeritus, former director Indian Institute of Science (IISc) stated that vaccine development programme by companies in the country will drive the nation to an enviable position. "We not only have the capability but the capacity to consume going by the huge population," added.
Today, India is in an enviable position as it fortifies itself as one of the fastest growing industrial production rates in the world. Although this could be related to core sectors where an industrial production growth of 6.9% is still higher than many of the leading economies like US, UK, Europe, Japan, Brazil, Indonesia and Russia, India is not at all behind in biotechnology said a senior official from, Institute for Social and Economic Change.
The Indian biotechnology is being supported with a benefit of reverse brain drain. The 'return of the natives' have already added to the Indian resource pool. Scientists in US and UK are allured to the Indian paradigm shift in pharma-biotech research and manufacture. Their knowledge base more than the investment in revenues will provide the support to make India among the top five global biotech destinations, pointed out Dr. Mashelkar