India and universal healthcare : public engagement needed

Two articles I read recently brought home, once more, the absolute lack of a cohesive national debate on "healthcare for all Indians" which is currently a hot topic in New Delhi. One of the articles observed that the Maharashtra state government had yet to deliver on its very dated promise  to provide free medicines to …

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Straws in the wind? Sandoz to shut API devt centre in India

Sandoz, the world's second-largest generic drugs company and a unit of Swiss drug maker Novartis has decided to shut its active pharmaceutical ingredients or API development facility near Mumbai.  A Novartis spokesperson said in an e-mail to this writer that this was part of "recent project portfolio optimization within Sandoz Global Development." The spokesperson added …

Seven year itch? Tata group reviews investment in Advinus Therapeutics

The Tata group is reviewing its seven year-old investment in closely-held research and development company Advinus Therapeutics, according to three people familiar with the development.  The group is open to the idea of attracting strategic investors into the company and accepting significant equity dilution at the right valuation, these people said. "They are looking to …

Guest post : Why the compulsory licence to Natco is a bad idea

I'd like to introduce a guest post from Ranga Iyer, former MD of Wyeth Limited and a drug industry veteran. He is currently an independent advisor to Indian and foreign drug companies on strategy, policy, as also mergers and acquisitions.  In 2009, Ranga, then president of the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India,  was ranked …

Medical technology in India: Is the worm turning?

A recent edition of TED Talks featured Myshkin Ingawale a co-founder of Mumbai-based Biosense which has invented a needle-free, handheld haemoglobin measuring device. This is big for a country where anaemia or low haemoglobin count is the leading cause of maternal mortality even though iron supplements are cheaply and plentifully available. Many of these deaths …