'Pharma city' planned near Vizag

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 28. A `pharma city' aimed at providing world class infrastructure for bulk drugs and chemical units on a 1900- acre site at Parawada village near Visakhapatnam has been approved in principle by the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu.

The APIIC will be the nodal agency for the `pharma city' for which the land has been already identified in order to take advantage of the strengths of the Vizag port and the nearby Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Once established, in collaboration with a joint venture partner, it will be the only estate of its kind in the world having waste treatment facilities and provision for quality control and customs clearance.

Another initiative proposed by the Government is to set up an Indian Institute of Life Sciences (IILS), a centre of excellence on the lines of the Indian School of Business (ISB), at Manikonda village near Hyderabad, jointly with the industry and research institutions. A nine-member committee headed by Dr. Anji Reddy, Chairman of Dr. Reddy Labs, has been formed to establish this institute which will provide training and facilitate research in pharma processes.

This was stated at the first meeting today of the Chief Minister's Task Force constituted some time ago to formulate policies and devise strategies for AP to forge ahead in the pharma sector. Mr. Naidu, who presided, declared that he wanted Hyderabad to become the `drug discovery capital' of India by 2010.

Andhra Pradesh, he said, registered production of Rs. 6,500 crores last year constituting 28 per cent of the Indian pharmaceutical market of Rs. 23,500 crores. The production had gone up to Rs. 7,575 crores during the year 2000-01 and there was immense scope for increasing the output. However, he expressed concern over 17 per cent negative growth in the chemicals and chemical products.

Assuring the industry of unstinted support from the Government, he said that Hyderabad, in particular, and Andhra Pradesh, in general, were attractive investment destination for bulk drugs and industry with premier research institutions and good hospitals. The Government was promoting bio-technology, encouraging the study of sciences and the private sector to establish medical colleges in every district.

He accepted the suggestions of Task Force members to constitute a Cabinet sub-committee on pharma industry and to appoint a nodal officer in the Industries Department. He advised the Task Force to integrate into its Action Plan the promotion of medicinal plants, an area often neglected.

Mr. Anji Reddy said the country should gear itself to the new patent regime coming into force by 2005. Drug multinationals were at present allergic to India because of the scant respect for patents. This situation should change.

Mr. Venkat Jasti, Managing Director, Suven Pharma, in his presentation, said the State Government should do more for treatment of effluents released by pharma units. Without environment control system, it would be difficult to attract FDI into the State.

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Section  : Southern States
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