Focus India 2006 to be held next month

To enable global pharma R & D companies and research institutions to explore strategic alternatives in India, Kasyap Technologies Private Limited, a Hyderabad-based life sciences research company, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) is organising Focus India 2006, a global conference on pharmaceutical R&D efficiencies next month.

The conference, to be held during March 15-17, 2006 at Ramoji Film City, is an initiative to bring together vendors across the discovery platform in an organised way for global market interface.

Focus India, apart from serving as a platform for exploring possible areas of partnerships for the biopharmaceutical industry, would also provide an incisive analysis on India's drug discovery R & D capabilities.

Announcing this to media persons, J S Yadav, IICT director, said, "The idea of the conference has been conceived by Kasyap and IICT is co-organising the event." Drug development today is a billion-dollar affair and India with its strong R&D skills coupled with frugal research overheads attracts many overseas companies to work here, Yadav said.

J S R Durga Prasad, chairman, Kasyap Technologies, said that speaker representations from almost all pharma majors, including Pfizer, Dr Reddy's, Ranbaxy and Matrix Laboratories, have been listed.

"The conference will attract 14 speakers from abroad. Around 100 delegates from outside the country and about 500 from across the country are expected to participate in the three-day conference."

The conference will be held under two broad heads"�business forum covering 'India Advantage Forum and Partnership Table', and technology forum covering 'Discovery Biology, Discovery Chemistry and Workshops on Process Analytical Technology and Clinical Research'.