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`Pharma units must spend regularly on R & D'

Our Bureau

CALCUTTA, Feb. 25

DOMESTIC pharmaceutical companies would be able to withstand the onslaught of multinationals in the sector if they were willing to spend at least Rs. 10 crores annually on R & D, according to Dr. Anji Reddy, founder-chairman of Dr. Reddy's Laboratories.

It was this trust in his scientists and researchers, as early as 1993, that had borne fruit with the discovery of molecules that were later licensed out to a large multinational, he pointed out.

Dr. Reddy was in the city to participate in the inauguration of Pharmacon 2000 organised by the Indian Drug Manufacturers Association, Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India, Bengal National Chambers of Commerce and Industry, All India Organis ation of Chemists and Druggists and Bulk Drug Manufacturers' Association.

Mr. Bidyut Ganguly, West Bengal's Industry Minister, said that even as there was a nationwide opinion in favour of withdrawal of subsidies, there was a need for subsidy with respect to drug pricing, in a country where more than 50 per cent are below the poverty line. This could be by way of raw materials procurement or export support to the organisations.

In the period between 1991-99, 2017 industrial proposals (worth Rs. 47,358.9 crores) had been approved, 338 of them (worth Rs. 8,668.21 crores) were implemented and 74 project (Rs. 10,056 crores) were under construction. About 39.5 per cent of the total projects were under implementation or already commissioned. This was the highest in the eastern region and compared favourably with the rest of the country, he said.

Dr. Ashwini Kumar, a senior officer in the office of Drug Controller of India, told Business Line that a more stringent patent regime would be good in that domestic pharmaceutical organisations would give more thrust to research and not be associated wit h ``replication'' or ``piracy'' any more.

About drug prices being beyond the reach of a large population, he said that there were debates on the issue, as some states were faring better than the other.