India needs a strong innovation eco-system for newer and better medicines. This will enable the pharma industry to bring in quality and affordable drugs to treat critical illnesses. Therefore, the industry will need to maximize the advantage of Prime Minister Modi’s initiatives like Innovate in India and Make in India to capitalize on new drug development, stated a panel of experts.

At an event titled MHRD Chair on Intellectual Property Rights & Centre for Intellectual Property Rights and Advocacy CIPRA), National Law School India University, Bengaluru in association with the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), a panel discussion was moderated by Prof T Ramakrishna head ministry of HRD, chair on IPR CIPRA.

Dr VM Katoch, former director general, ICMR and former secretary, department of health research pointed out that innovation is an expensive venture requiring funds, supportive system and regulation. The IPR regime would ensure rewarding returns.

“We should move from being mere traders to innovators. We need efficiency in the system, rules and processes in place. On patented medicine, by and large, we follow globally accepted patent protection norms, added Dr Katoch.

According to Krishna Sarma, managing partner, Corporate Law Group, India should use IPR in a positive way and value add to use IP more productively.

“This is the right time for India to have a Ministry for Innovation to harmonize IP action. This can ensure proprietary protection and orphan drug development. Newer medicines particularly for HIV and cancer drugs are much wanted. Market for ideas is problematic and investor needs incentives, said Prof Chirantan Chatterjee, Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru.

 “From a patient perspective it is not the access to patented drugs but the need to survive from a disease. Currently, innovation is a must when India is facing the threat of MDR TB and drug resistant malaria. We need robust patient groups to provide patients not just affordable drugs but access to clinical trials of innovative drugs. India needs to think ahead to offset threat of drug resistance, environmental affects of climate change. The country needs epidemiological mapping for non-communicable diseases, device a funding model for healthcare where insurance is more inclusive and this can be driven only by patient groups, noted Dr Ratna Devi, founding member, Indian Alliance of Patient Group.