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Plan to spur development of key drugs

BANGALORE: Prof. Samir Brahmachari, who recently became Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), said here on Friday the Council proposed to set up an Open Source Drug Discovery programme, via a web portal, in the public domain.

“We expect this will speed up research needed to develop affordable drugs to treat TB and other diseases still rampant in India. The IITs, the biopharma industry and scientists have been invited to participate; funds will not be a constraint for this initiative,” he said, in his key-note address at the BioSpectruam awards event here, organised by the journal of the same.

The CSIR is also considering other ways to encourage research and one may be an additional compensatory package for Scientists from government institutions who opt to work for the industry for stipulated period. Prof. Brahmachari who was a student and later on the faculty of IISC here remarked, “younger scientists need encouragement to follow the kind of commitment to research work our generation had. We do have quality manpower and they only need the discipline and dedication necessary for sustained research. The CSIR will protect their intellectual property rights which may be shared with industry on a royalty basis”.

Participating in a panel discussion earlier, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon, said, “The National Biotechnology Policy announced in November, meets most of the industry’s needs. We also need a Biotechnology Regulatory Authority to enforce uniform safety norms while empowering innovation and help biotech start-ups get necessary investments”.

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