With high-level discussions on new trends and opportunities in transition in the pharma and biotechnology industry, BioAsia 2015 has become an apt platform for the industry stakeholders to express views, ideas and issues on the second day of the event in Hyderabad.

Beginning with the inauguration of international tradeshow, the 2nd day of BioAsia 2015 witnessed signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between TSIIC (Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation) and China Medical City, followed by conferences on Drug discovery, Rapid diagnostics and Supply Chain and logistics, which showcased India’s innovation pipeline in pharma, biotech, healthcare and supply chain management sectors.

In fact the 12th annual convention of BioAsia 2015 has become an apt platform for the global industry leaders, researchers, policy makers, innovators, and investors. The 3 day event is currently being held at HICC from February 2-4 in Hyderabad is driven by the theme ‘New Era of Life sciences Opportunities in Transition’.

The morning session of the convention witnessed the inauguration of the International Tradeshow by Jupally Krishna Rao, Minister for Industries, Government of Telangana. He also presented Genome Valley Excellence Awards to Dr. Stephen Doberstein, chief scientific officer Nektar Therapeutics and Mark Caulfield, director William Harvey Research Institute. Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla, Chairman Serum Institute of India was bestowed with FABA Special Award. After the keynote address by Prof. Mark Caulfield, Director, Genomics England & William Harvey Research Institute, UK. The conferences on ‘Drug Discovery’, ‘Rapid Diagnostics’ and ‘Supply Chain and Logistics’ etc discussed mainly on strengthening of Industry academia relations, focused on collaborative funding on core science research and strengthen of intellectual property laws to build confidence among the innovators for new investments.

Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China Medical City. The MoU was signed by. Jayesh Ranjan, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, TSIIC and Liu Lu, Deputy Director, China Medical City in the presence of  Jupally Krishna Rao, Minister for Industries, Government of Telangana.

Speaking on this occasion Shakthi Nagappan, CEO, BioAsia said, “We are overwhelmed with the sessions, panel discussions and response as we have 750 registered participants on day 2. We are sure that the delegates are getting an opportunity to explore new opportunities and upcoming trends from the eminent speakers. The participation of key industry leaders and signing of MoU between Telangana state and China Medical City today is a testimony to the role that BioAsia has played in bringing together all stakeholders for an inclusive growth and knowledge sharing.”

The Drug Discovery Conference at BioAsia 2015 focused on showcasing India’s innovation pipeline. The topics of discussion included ‘Doing more with less Accelerating India’s Biopharmaceutical Discovery’, ‘collaborating to bring effective treatment to market’, ‘Investing in the NEW’ and ‘funding drug discovery’.

The Rapid Diagnostics conference featured experts from diverse domains and topics ranging from the analysis of existing knowledge and the future of rapid diagnostic and POC Tests, not only in health care but across all allied fields of life sciences were covered. The conference examined how rapid diagnostics are being used in clinics, in pharmacies, and by the consumers. The focus of the conference was to identify potential gaps in the market for new technologies and learn how to successfully implement these in a highly competitive market place on a need base.

The ‘Supply Chain and Logistics ‘conference focussed to enable companies to identify new emerging market trends for a cost effective pharma supply chain management. As Indian companies look to penetrating the market locally and supply to global markets, an agile, customised and cost-efficient supply chain is of paramount importance. Companies in many industries have pruned their supply chain costs to support profitable growth. Until recently, pharmaceutical companies did not embrace this trend. The pharmaceutical supply chain is facing many challenges and will need a radical overhaul. The panellists included Dr. Renu Swarup, managing director, DBT-BIRAC, Government of India, CSN Murthy, chief executive officer, Aurigene Discovery Technologies, India and Dr. Neelima Khairatkar-Joshi, Sr. vice president and head, NCE Discovery Research, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, India, Solomon Yimam, Assistant Country Director, US FDA India Office, Dr. Paul Willis, Director Drug Discovery, Medicines for Malaria Venture, Switzerland to name a few.