R&D mission to seek cures for ignored Indian diseases

The 10-year strategy unveiled in the new national policy will also focus on animal health care

- Priyanka Sharma

NEW DELHI : India’s first national policy on research and development in pharmaceuticals and medical technology sets out to create a ‘new drug discovery mission’, a move that would focus on Indian ailments and plug a gap in the world’s biggest manufacturer of generics.

The policy also pushes the promotion of R&D in animal health care as about 70% of infectious diseases in the last three decades globally have originated in animals.

It is estimated that India loses around ₹3.69 trillion annually due to disease outbreaks.

The national policy on R&D and innovation in the pharma-med tech sector was notified last week.

According to industry experts, research and development accounts for only 7% of the overall expenditure by the Indian pharma industry, compared to over 35% spending on R&D in developed countries.