THE ECONOMIC TIMES

28 September 2000

India can be a super power in pharma R&D

HARINDER SIKKA

Even a casual reading of our Shastras and Vedas would confirm the in-depth knowledge acquired through R&D by our scientists thousands of years ago, especially in the area of biotechnology. One of the major differences of yesteryear research was that it was proactive to general masses. Whereas today's research is mainly proactive to customer, not necessarily from the lowest strata of the society.  Today's R&D revolve around the existing rules of the market, i.e., what products to sell, at what price and to whom. 

The Economic Times

HARINDER S SIKKA

The genome project opens up new vistas for gene based drugs, an area that India could well be a super power in. However, there are some very serious issues that not only need to be quickly understood, but also need to be implemented and supported by suitable legislation. India has, for example, Over' 6000 tribes and the- largest gene pool reserves in the world., Besides, it as0 possesses centuries old rain forests, tropica1 plants and wide range of Himalayan herbs, that has worked for over a 1000 years in curing scores of diseases.  Given a choice, the western world would like to exempt plants and animals from coming under the IPR regime which, in other words, would put the' Third World countries s into great disadvantage.  The gene pirates on the other hand, have been illegally taking out thousands of blood samples and herbs and patenting their genetic characteristics in order to make a quick buck in the future.

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