New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday pitched for creating an “ecosystem” for innovation that will make India a leader in drug discovery and innovative medical devices.
“India has a large pool of scientists and technologists with a potential to take the industry (pharmaceutical) to greater heights. This strength needs to be harnessed to Discover and Make in India,” said Modi after inaugurating the First Global Innovation Summit of the Pharmaceuticals sector through video conferencing.
Stressing on developing indigenous capabilities, Modi said, “Today, when 1.3 billion people of India have taken it upon themselves to make India Aatmanirbhar (self-reliant), we must think about ramping up domestic manufacturing of key ingredients for vaccines and medicines. This is one frontier that India has to conquer.”
He also said that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the Pharmaceuticals sector into sharp focus and added that the Indian pharmaceutical industry has also risen to the challenge. “Our definition of wellness is not limited by physical boundaries. We believe in the well-being of the entire humankind. And, we have shown this spirit to the whole world during the Covid-19 global pandemic,” he said.
He informed that India exported lifesaving medicines and medical equipment to over 150 countries during the initial phase of the pandemic. “We have exported more than 65 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to nearly 100 countries this year”, he added.
He invited the stakeholders to “Ideate in India, Innovate in India, Make in India and Make for the World.”
The two-day Summit will have 12 Sessions and over 40 national and international speakers deliberating on a range of subjects including the regulatory environment, funding for innovation, industry-academia collaboration, and innovation infrastructure.
It will witness participation of leading members from domestic and global Pharma Industries, officials, investors and researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, John Hopkins Institute, IIM Ahmedabad and other eminent institutes.
