A sense of exaltation is high in Hyderabad in the run up to the next Analytica Anacon- India, to be held between October 31 and November 2 this year. Such an event for analytical instrument coming to Hyderabad, which is often described as "Bulk Drugs Capital of India" speaks volumes about the growing importance of its allied sectors to the pharmaceutical industry.
Analytica Anacon events, held for the phama instrumentation sector, laboratory information system and scientific equipment, was held in Mumbai and Bangalore before coming to Hyderabad. The venue is Hitex Exhibition Centre.
Hyderabad is the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and is located in the middle of the country. It is the sixth largest Indian city and is home for highest number of bulk drugs (active pharmaceutical ingredient) producers. It is also considered an up-and-coming location for IT and biotechnology. As a centre for the pharmaceutical industry, Hyderabad has hundreds of big and small companies such as Avra Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Divis Labs, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Genotex International (India) Pvt. Ltd., Indigene Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Matrix Laboratories and Vimta Labs Pvt. Ltd.. International groups of companies in the health-care sector such as Apollo, CARE, CDR, Global, Kamineni, Mediciti, Medinova, Medwin, NIMS, Pacific and Yashoda also have subsidiaries in Hyderabad.
By founding Genome Valley, Hyderabad is reinforcing its position as a hub for the biotech and pharmaceutical industry in India even further. More than 100 biotechnology companies will be located in the biotech cluster, which will have its own state-of-the-art infrastructure and laboratory facilities. The Genome Valley project also includes a nanotechnology park in a suburb of Hyderabad and India's leading forensics laboratory, the CDFD (Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics).
And an entire group of government research organisations and nine universities - among them the University of Hyerdabad - that deal with chemical and biological analysis including the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB), the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) and the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN).
Hyderabad's efforts to become the Indian center for biotechnology are supported and promoted by a comprehensive biotech policy. Andhra Pradesh government is now providing necessary infrastructure in Visakhapatnam, the second biggest city in the State, and in coastal corridor for industrial growth. The corridor has abundant water and land available.
Analytica Anacon India is a combined project by the Indian Analytical Instruments Association (IAIA) and International Exhibition & Fair Service of Messe Munchem GmbH. While the Analytica Munich, Germany, is the world's leading trade fair established in 1968 for instrumental analysis, biotechnology diagnostics and laboratory technology, the IMAG has been actively involved in the Indian market since 1983.
With the boom in Indian economy, the companies in nearly every branch of industry are planning to expand and penetrate world markets. Taking a cue, Indian laboratories are increasingly becoming high-tech, pointed out the managing director of Munich International Trade Fairs Hans-Joachim Heusler.
``The demand for high-tech solutions were also growing. These solutions ranged from the State-of-the art instrumental analysis, such as chromatography and mass spectrometry to high-throughput and laboratory-automation solutions as well as biotechnology solutions in the drug and genome research,'' Heusler said responding to an e-mail query.
Apart from showcasing solutions, Analytica Anacon India -2007 would help disseminate the range of applications in actual practices. Organised by the Indian Analytical Instruments Association, the exhibition was a gathering for researchers and scientists from around the world. It would introduce Indian trade visitors to the latest application sectors in environmental protection, food production, medicine, chemistry and materials research, he added.
This year not less than 140 exhibitors are expected to participate in the event. The pharmaceutical and manufacturing industry is enthusiastic to grab the opportunity to showcase their achievements. Information technology being used in pharmaceutical industry, too, is taking part in the event to demonstrate its influence.
Caliber Technologies Private Limited in Hyderabad is for the first time participating in the Analytica Anacon. The ISO 9001-2000 certified company is all set for exhibiting its achievements. The company's flagship product Caliber LIMS (an acronym for Laboratory Information Management System) is designed to using cutting edge technologies to help the pharma and bitech companies to comply with the stringent international regulatory norms like Electronic Signatures and Electronic Records. Caliber bootstrapped by producing basic Laboratory Information Management System at a strategically important first user location, Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd, an important global pharma players.
Caliber Technoligies managing director Satya Sekhar Surabi has pointed out that the event is an arena to meet and discuss the latest developments. The laboratory Sample Workflow automation is the prime objective of LIMS, he says.
The two decades-old Orbit Technologies, one more participant in the event, is providing complete solutions for water, food or environmental analysis system. Instruments are used in pharma industry, too, according to Orbit Technologies senior business development manager Rakesh M Mathur.
More importantly, the instrumentation being manufactured by some countries come cheap in price but the compliance with global standards cannot be achieved with them. This is the argument being advanced by some companies with standard products. The example is Bomb Calorimeters & Related Fuel Testing Instrumentation which can be used in food and pharma industries. So is the case with the other instrumentation. The industry may use the platform to be provided by the Analytica Anacon to "educate" the end-users on this subject. How far they succeed is to be seen.
LCGC chromatography solutions, Inkarp Instrumentation are some more companies participating in the event.
Giant companies from the United States, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Japan, Canada and China are taking part in the event. Companies from Clumbia, United Arab Emirates will also be in the exhibition to showcase their achievements.
Indo-General Chamber of Commerce, the brain behind the exhibition, is poised to take the even to its logical conclusion. The body has recognised the potentiality of the Hyderabad city for the growth of pharmaceutical and biotech industries.
The event is coming as shot in the arm for the Andhra Pradesh government to promote the state as the centre for biotechnology. The officials of the state government are likely to meet the representatives of the multi-national companies to attract the foreign direct investment into the State for setting up their units for producing instruments for pharmaceutical and biotech industry.
The industry and the institutions providing pharma and biotechnology education will have an opportunity to learn how to upscale the skills of the young scientists being churned out by universities to meet the current and future industry needs. The industry has been making appeals to the state government not only to provide infrastructure to promote the pharma and biotech industry in Hyderabad and elsewhere in the State but also find ways to promote the skills of the young scientists on a par with the global standards.