Collaborative R & D, speeding up of pre-clinical study, bio-informatics / chemi-informatics, free flow of Biological Materials,

preferential incentives, exchange & technology transfer and human resource development are the major areas where Chinese and Indian biotech companies could collaborate for mutual benefit, according to Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Indusry (FICCI) officials. .

These potential areas of tie-up between Indian and Chinese biotech companies have been identified by a 13-member FICCI biotech mission to Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Nanchang, led by Dr Krishna M Ella, chairman, FICCI National Biotechnology Committee & CMD of Bharat Biotech International Ltd.

In the area of collaborative R&D, Chinese companies can outsource new drug discovery to India, whereas further drug development and pre-clinical studies can take place in China and India simultaneously. This would enable both countries to come together to become global suppliers of Innovation Based Drugs.India's costs are 1/8th and China's 1/5th compared with the cost incurred by the US.

China can help India in vaccine development, gene therapy and stem cell research, as they are much ahead of India.

In-vivo studies at the preliminary level would be faster at China as there are no ethical or long procedural issues for animal experimentation at China. Also, the animals for experiments can be obtained from China's national resource centres such as the one at Nanching University.

Data management expertise of India can be well utilized by Chinese biotech and pharmaceuticals players in order to get their labs GMP and GLP compliant.

There can be a free flow movement of biological materials, which include microorganisms and animals such as different strains of mice between two countries.

India has largest number of US FDA approved plant in the world outside USA. Therefore, if drugs are developed as a collaborated effort between India and China, these can be exported together to highly regulated markets such the US, the UK and Australia, i.e. India can help export Chinese biotech products to these markets and China can help India export drugs/vaccines to China by collaborating at research level for speedy approval from USFDA.

Indian companies can take benefit of preferential incentives offered by SEZs to set up representative offices at some of the provinces such as Nanjing and Tianjin so that SFDA approval can be easily obtained.