The Government of Tunisia has invited Indian drug industry to set up manufacturing facilities in a new technology park coming up there. The state-of-the-art techno-park is exclusively meant for biotech and pharmaceutical industry.

According to Ezzeddine Triki, director general of Sidi Thabel Technopark, proposals for all non-polluting, innovative projects in the biotech/pharma sectors would be considered by Tunisia.

The park, coming up on 92 hectres of land would have high-end research / educational institutions, incubator facility for research based drug companies and plots for companies to set up manufacturing base.

Dr Triki said they have already completed the construction of the educational institutions. While the National Institute of Research & Chemical Analysis and the National Centre for Nuclear Sciences and Technologies are to turn functional during the current year, the Cancer Research Centre, also to come up in the same location, is yet to be completed, he said. "The Technopark would initiate courses in biotechnology and bioinformatics. The Bioinformatics facility will be ready by next year. We intend to complete the entire higher education facilities by 2007-'08," he explained.

"We have asked Indian companies to set up units here. Two foreign companies have already booked space in the Park. Since there is an Industrial zone adjacent to the Park, companies would have no problem for further expansion," he added.

Asked about the USP of the park, Amor Toumi, director general of Pharmaceuticals and Medicine, Tunisian Health Ministry, said that the products from the park would have free access to markets in Europe and West Africa. "There is much scope for the import / manufacture of raw materials and finished goods. For new drug manufacturing, our thrust would be on joint ventures," he said.

Toumi, who was the leader of the Tunisian delegation to India, said that they have been in touch with Indian biotech institutions and are looking forward for exchange of technical expertise, training programmes in India and collaborative research in biotechnology.

According to Toumi, Tunisia spends 5.6 per cent of GDP for health. "More than 90 per cent of our children are vaccinated through national programmes. No Tunesian is separated more than 5 kms from a health centre. We have almost overcome the challenges posed by infectious diseases," he stated.

However, the disease profile of the country is slowly shifting towards non-communicable diseases like hypertension, diabetes, coronary diseases etc. "The need for new drugs is becoming more and more. We will have a complete shift towards new drugs by 2020. Here is where the agreements like TRIPS and GATS come in our way to access to biotech and new drugs. Even today, our companies are able to meet just 50 per cent of our requirement. We intend to build own capabilities in NCE research as well as production of new drugs," he said.