Written By: Pavitra Sampath | Updated : April 14, 2015 9:25 AM IST
New and improved drugs for common yet deadly diseases like malaria, diabetes and osteoporosis may be introduced in India soon. According to a statement by Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Harsh Vardhan, the Indian pharmaceutical sector will be showcasing candidate drugs once they have cleared the clinical trial stage. He added that CSIR-CDRI were simultaneously carrying out Investigational New Drug (IND) studies on medicines for fracture-healing, cancers, thrombosis and hyperglycemia.
After visiting the CDRI, Lucknow the minister said that with further research and development there could be an important breakthrough on the horizon in the treatment of these diseases. I am confident that the drug laboratories under the CSIR are capable of backing up the Swasth Swachh Bharat Mission. Our scientists are focussing on both infectious and lifestyle diseases. We are developing next generation drugs, biologics, biosimilars, gene therapeutics, stem cell therapeutics, personalised medicine and multifunctional nanomedicine, said Dr Vardhan.
Also, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was committed to making India the world s leading destination for end-to-end drug discovery and innovation by 2020.
In a statement, Dr Vardhan said, So far India s research and development efforts by government funded laboratories like CSIR-CDRI, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad) and CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR-IICB, Kolkata) have formulated drugs for kala azar, filaria, leprosy and tuberculosis.
He also said people were expecting CSIR laboratories to produce therapeutic and preventive measures for re-emerged infectious diseases.
Image source: Shutter Stock
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