The pharmaceutical industry in India is highly innovative and set to achieve five times growth in the coming years. With its present potential, the industry will continue to play a more significant role as an innovative manufacturing leader, according to Dr VK Subburaju, secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals.

Pharmaceutical industry is a knowledge-based industry which carries a major role in the healthcare management system and continues to be a strong contributor of jobs to myriad number of pharmacy, biotechnology and other healthcare professionals in the country, besides posting growing revenues. It is expected to see rapid growth in coming years supported by increasing demand for drugs for curing various diseases. India’s drugs are making impacts all over the world now.

The pharmaceutical secretary was delivering a lecture as chief guest in a function organized as part of the National Pharmacy Week celebration in Chennai.

Although the progress of Indian pharma industry is commendable, the sector is facing many challenges including lack of security for the imported bulk drugs, medical devices and its complex position due to the control of more than one department. India was importing drugs for major diseases from other countries till the end of 1940s. But the situation in the drug sector changed later, and now Indian made drugs are being exported to foreign countries. About 220 countries in the world have the medicinal presence of India. The total drug production in the country is worth around Rs.180,000 crore today, he said.

According to him, the need of the hour is to focus on invention of new drugs and vaccines. Biotechnology should also be encouraged for more researches which will accept the services of potential pharmacists. The area of biotechnology has high potential for job opportunities, and institutions in the national level need to be developed in order to produce competent professionals in that field. He said a special ‘task force’ has been formed to work out the strategy for developing biotechnology. Likewise, in the pharmaceutical industry area another task force has been formed to study the problems of the bulk drugs industry and the safety of the imported bulk drugs.

He said India has to strengthen the area of vaccine production immensely as the country has only six vaccines which are available in almost all the countries. There are about 30 vaccines available in the world for curing various diseases. More innovations are required for inventing vaccines and new drugs for curing diseases like those which have no cure at all. The manufacturing companies which are investing more on R&D for new molecules can create waves in the world, said Dr Subburaju who was previously the principal secretary of Tamil Nadu.

IDMA chairman, SV Veeramni said in the meeting that the Tamil Nadu Pharma industry is not getting due recognition from the government though its contribution to the health and pharmacy sectors is beyond any limit.

J Jayaseelan, secretary of TN IPA, which organised the program, elaborated the role of pharmacists in society and Dr S Chinnaswamy, president of Tamil Nadu pharmacy council announced the names of award winners. CDSCO deputy drugs controller Dr S Manivannan, TN drugs controller S Abdul Khadar and Prof. Revichandran spoke at the meeting.

Former deputy drugs controller in the CDSCO, N Narayana Swami has been awarded the ‘Best Pharmacist of the Year’ 2014.