Indians to help Chinese biotech firms
It could be the
technology equivalent of taking a holy dip in the Ganges.The
Chinese4 biotech industry ,often accused of stealing and copying western
technology ,is looking for Indian collaboration in order to dress up its image and obtain approval from the regulators in the US.
But Indian biotech and pharmaceutical
companies are more than eager to offer themselves as reformatories for the delinquents .India’s strong point is that it has several research sites approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the US.The Chinese want to use these sites to gain credibility for their products.
India offers a good platform for Chinese companies to obtain FDA approval for their technologies ,Yuk Lam Lo chairman of the Hong Kong Biotechnology Association told TOI.It’s a good opportunity for the Indians.They should grab as much of the huge resources that China possesses as they can,he said.
Krishna M Ella ,head of an Indian biotech industry delegating currently touring China feels that Indian and Chinese companies can jointly take on the world markets in the research ,process and certification areas.Both sides have their strengths ,and it makes sense to merge them.
India and China can do amazing things together .This is what governments on both sides should realize ,and encourage ,said Ella,heading a delegation of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerceand Industry(Ficci). He is the CMD of the Hyderabad –based Bharat Biotech International one of India’s largest biotech companies.
Lo was even more forthright .I do not see Chinese companies getting FDA approval in the next 5-10 years.They cannot sell their products overseas ,not even in Asian countries .All they can do is technology transfer.They are overloaded with off-patent technologies ,and Indians should make the best use of it,he said.
It does not matter if some western countries and companies feel that a lot of technology with the Chinese companies have been obtained by violating intellectual property rights.Indian companies should suck in the large mass of bio-pharmaceutical technology that China possesses,he said.
Indians have special abilities for in processing and documentation .The two sides can come up with suitable products that would be acceptable by FDA standards, he said.