In an effort to give a fillip to not just Indian pharma industry but also Karnataka drug manufacturers, the department of pharmaceuticals (DoP) in association with the Federation of Indian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (FICCI) is organising an international exhibition and conference on pharmaceutical industry: India Pharma 2016 and Indian Medical Expo 2016 from January 7 to 9, 2016 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), Bengaluru.

Karnataka government has readily consented to provide total support for this exposition that is designed to woo investors and strategic collaborations.

The three-day event will highlight sectors covering finished formulations, APIs, natural extracts. It will display pharma machinery, medical devices and instruments. There will be a buyers and sellers meet. It is expected to attract over 5,000 global pharma and medical device professionals, according to the organi
sers.

“The knowledge driven pharma sector with qualified workforce has consistently proved its strengths despite infrastructure bottle necks and taxation issues,” stated Biocon CMD Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, who heads Vision Group on Biotechnology.

At the formal event announcement, Vinay Mathur, deputy director, FICCI said that this event will be on similar lines that of India Chem which is the Chamber’s flagship expo that has attracted significant investments into the sector. Karnataka which has a strong pharma presence could now maximise the advantage of through the expo.

According to Dilip Rajan, country head, Abbott, the focus now shifts from Millennium Development Goals to sustainable development goals. India with 30,000 drug brands and 14,000 medical devices is the third largest in terms of volume and 13th largest in terms of value in pharmaceuticals and has proved its capability in drug production and as an enabler for healthcare. However, there is a need for an integrated model across the continuum of healthcare with early detection. “We require to set up centres of excellence to drive preventive healthcare models similar to Abbott’s thyroid early detection campaign. Therefore this international event is expected to enable synergies of both the government and industry,” he said.

The knowledge driven pharma sector with qualified workforce has consistently proved its strengths despite infrastructure bottle necks and taxation issues, stated Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, adding that Bengaluru is ideally suited to be the platform for this three-day expo because of its augmented information technology capability and start-up evolution.

India will need to play from its natural strength as a natural destination, scientific and engineering skills to become a global leader since it is already producing 80 per cent of pharmaceuticals and 20 per cent of generics to the global market, said Dr. VK Subburaj, secretary, department of pharmaceuticals, noting that the government through this event was keen to attract potential investors.

According to RV Deshpande, minister for large and medium industries, discussions with Karnataka Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers Association (KDPMA) were on to give a fillip to Karnataka with a dedicated cluster, pharmaceutical policy and pharma park. “We would provide the adequate assistance for this sector to emulate Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Right now Karnataka key strength is the access to qualified workforce with large scope for industrial growth. There are also efforts to bring back the KITVEN funds,” he said.

Jatish N Sheth, president, KDPMA and Srushti Pharmaceuticals pointed out that the event would provide the much-needed acceleration to the existing companies in the state.