The Economic Times

For Indian pharmaceutical companies to be standing successfully on the basic research podium is like expecting our gymnasts to win an Olympic gold.

Without acquiring mental toughness, exhaustive training, long term planning and systematic execution, it is not possible to discover science. It is even more difficult to have it recognised internationally.

Most Indian companies are like well-bred (not necessarily well groomed), toughened horses that are capable of running the short race at a great speed, producing more mileage at minimal expense.

Unless reined in, they are also capable of trampling over human fields, creating havoc in the wake. It is but the second part that ought to be the main cause of our concern.

The Economic Times

There are two facets of basic research in the pharma industry: new drug discovery and development research and developing new, cost-effective production processes for manufacture of new drugs.

Indian pharma companies have already excelled in process innovation and technology and are able to produce practically all the drugs needed for health care programmes, at affordable prices.

Indian pharma companies have set up state-of-the-art NDDR centres. In the short time these centres have been in existence, they have a number of new drugs in the pipe-line, many of which without doubt  will be approved and marketed in due course.

A new drug introduction by the best companies in the world takes 10-15 years and the same will happen for the drugs discovered by Indian pharma companies.

The Indian EXPRESS

The sale of pesticide-ridden drinking water under established brands has deeply breached the consumer’s trust. But what could be more tragic than to learn that those in the know in the concerned ministry have been aware of this menace all along.

Clean water is not a luxury item, meant only for the rich. It constitutes the most vital requirement for a healthy body. In India, over eighty per cent of the diseases are water-based. According to an international study, the large-scale consumption of contaminated water could be the single largest factor behind the rising disease burden of developing nations. If not addressed on a war footing, it could soon reach alarming proportions.

And not a drop fit to drink

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Business, Standard

Intelligent Information

The US is facing growing isolation at the WTO after it blocked Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in December last year.

While the Financial Times editorial on January 3rd blamed it on the powerful US pharmaceutical lobby and terms its reasons as widely exaggerated, it also singles out India and Brazil for willfully stoking fears that diseases such as obesity and asthma may be taken under the purview of compulsory licensing.

The argument, it appears, primarily attempts to bail out the US government that has come under severe criticism from all quarters, including the European Commission.

American Pressure Tactics At WTO 

HARINDER SIKKA 

 It appears that the Doha round has been reduced to a big question mark at least as far as the agreement on trade-related intellectual property rights (Trips) is concerned. Para one of the Trips agreement adopted on 14th Nov 2001 at Doha states, "We recognise the gravity of the public health problems afflicting many developing and least-developed countries, especially those resulting from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other epidemics"?.