The 13th edition of BioAsia taking place in Hyderabad will be providing a unique platform to all stake-holders. With the positive environ prevailing in the country and both the central and state governments doing their maximum to promote industry and boost the confidence among the investors, the biotech sector in India is all poised to witness the next phase of growth , says Shakthi Nagappan, CEO of BioAsia.
Since the sector can provide a tremendous boost to Indian economy and play a major role in India’s next phase of growth, provided the need-gaps in the industry are bridged, BioAsia 2016 will be focusing on connecting the dots, be it stakeholders or sectors, to build consensus and draw out a distinct road-map to propel the sector's growth, points out Shakthi Nagappan in an online interview with Amguth Raju.
What is the theme of BioAsia this year and how different it is compared to the previous editions?
‘Connecting the dots – Leveraging India to succeed globally’ is the theme of BioAsia 2016. The biotech industry in India has grown significantly. The industry holds an attractive value proposition in the form of skilled, cost-effective workforce with decades of scientific knowledge, expertise, IT prowess, increasing government focus etc. The sector can provide a tremendous boost to Indian economy and play a major role in India’s next phase of growth, provided the need-gaps in the industry are bridged. Hence, BioAsia will focus on connecting the dots, be it stakeholders or sectors, to build consensus us and draw out a distinct road-map to propel the sector growth.
Over the years, BioAsia has come to represent the flagship event of domestic and international life sciences sector and has truly evolved in to a global platform witnessing participation of industry leaders from over 50 countries. In addition to the core biotech and pharma focus, the 13th edition will also focus on healthcare leaders, technology companies and entrepreneur community, aimed at connecting the cross sectoral stakeholders to enable cross pollination of ideas. BioAsia 2016 will not just be bigger and better in terms of number of participants and scale, but will enable more meaningful dialogue between the stakeholders.
Could you give us a general perspective of the biotechnology industry in India?
The biotechnology industry in India is at the cusp of transformation. Global advancements, active government support combined with the expertise of the traditional industry ecosystem, are laying the foundation for the next phase of growth for the Indian biotech and life sciences sector. The support of IT in providing innovative healthcare solutions and newer technologies like SMAC, Big Data Analytics are playing a major role in catalyzing industry’s growth. The healthcare IT market was valued at US$0.83 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach US$1.60 billion by 2019.
How do you view the mood of the biotech investors with the new regime in India and the Make in India campaign?
The industry is experiencing an extremely positive sentiment. The Make in India initiative has given the much needed momentum to boost investment in the sector. At BioAsia 2016 we are organizing a Startup Showcase program aimed at mobilizing the healthcare startups in the country. This is also the first event in the biotech and healthcare sector to partner with Make in India.
Could you give your perspective of the foreign biotech companies with regard to India’s pharma and biotech sector, how do they view and what opportunities they see in India?
Currently the healthcare sector is undergoing a transitional phase while India is facing dearth in basic infrastructure facilities to serve the higher demand of quality care services. Indian healthcare market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22.9 per cent to US$ 280 billion by 2020 from US$100 billion. Indian entrepreneurs have done well and have made a number of remarkable success stories. As has been the case in any other country, significant portion of the start-ups are “me-too” but the stand-outs have demonstrated immense potential and promise. The whole idea of doing a start-up pavilion at BioAsia is to provide a spotlight of these innovative start-ups.
How many exhibitors, participants and visitors are expected at BioAsia 2016 and what best they can expect from this year’s edition?
Last year BioAsia had 1300 delegates from 50 countries and about 700 organizations including senior delegates from companies like Dr. Reddy’s, Glenmark, Nektar Therapeutics, Merck & Co, Janssen Pharma, Sanofi, Novartis, Bharat Biotech, Aurigene, Serum Institute, Cadila Pharma, Lonza, among others. With increased support from the global industry community and the Government of India, we anticipate the 2016 event to be bigger not just quantitatively but also qualitatively as well.
Could you please give us a glimpse of scope of opportunities for biotech companies in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh? Post bifurcation how do you view the situation in both these states?
The Telangana Government has recently announced a world-class Pharmacity in Mucherla. The Pharmacity will provide tremendous opportunities to the Indian biotech, pharma, healthcare and life sciences industry.
How many biotech and related companies are expected to take part in this year’s event from India and abroad?
We will have more than 70 high profile speakers from more than 50 countries from across the globe. We have Norway as the country partner for BioAsia 2016 for the first time ever. Norway will be bringing a 10 member delegation including representation from Oslo Medtech - which is a premium technology cluster in Norway with close to 200 member companies. This will open up more opportunities for trade between India and Norway. We will have many more countries and companies like Natco, GVK and Aurobindo participating in BioAsia 2016.
Could you give us a brief on the major programmes like seminars, presentations and other meetings that may take place as part of BioAsia?
At BioAsia 2016, under the theme ‘Connecting the dots - Leveraging India to succeed globally’; we have conferences on drug discovery and innovation, healthcare and access, medical devices, rapid diagnostics, digital health and IT etc. The aim is to bring together all the stakeholders such as corporates, institutions and academia, research professionals, government, IT industry and startups under one roof. Moreover BioAsia 2016 will also host the first ever Startup Showcase program, The CEO Conclave and many side tracks that will deliberate on bringing innovation to the forefront.
Overall what would be final take away from this year’s BioAsia event?
BioAsia 2016 will be of immense value to all those associated with healthcare, biotech and life sciences industry. The knowledge sharing forum will be enriched with insights from global industry leaders, best practices and disruptive solutions that will propel the Indian industry to greater heights. Individually it will be a great session where professionals will get to interact with the who’s who of the industry. Moreover the event will also host various breakfast and deliberation meetings which are likely to result in great business opportunities for all.