Indian pharma units eye generic drug market share

Indian pharmaceutical companies have huge opportunities in the next five to 10 years.

Addressing a workshop on 'Patenting in pharmaceutical' organised by the Indian Chemical Manufacturers Association (ICMA), Sajal Kumar Roy Chowdhury, director-drugs control, West Bengal government, said Indian companies should try and capture a portion of $15 billion generic drug market in the US.

Indian manufacturers could expect to capture a part of the $33 billion market in challenging patents for drugs that have been unduly extended by US and European companies.

The value of patent and expired drugs, which was only $1.1 billion in 1998, had soared to $6.5 billion in 2000. It was also estimated $50 billion worth of prescription drugs would go off patent in the next 5 years.

Talking about herbal drugs, he said one of the best way to overcome the shortcomings due to the new Patent Act should be utilisation of the traditional Indian knowledge and resources.

"India can be proud of its legacy in the field of traditional medicines in general and herbal medicines in particular. The country can boast of as many as 45,000 species of plants of which as many as 20,000 plants have proven medicinal value. The traditional system utilises around 7,500 species in its formulations. Ayurveda uses 700, around the same numbers are in use in Unani, 600 varieties in Siddha, and 30 in modern medicines. The traditional system of medicines (TSM) have proven potential market in India and abroad," he added.

One way to face up to competition would be to tailor novel therapies and improve delivery of existing products. It was being postulated that a new delivery system of an existing molecule could increase the patent life span of a drug at a small investment.

He however cautioned that any new delivery system should offer potential benefits over old form. Citing examples he said it should increase patient compliance decreasing dosing frequency.

The chairman of ICMA, D P Patra, said in his address there was a wrong notion about the Patent Act which did not necessarily meant rising prices of all drugs.

The Act would also push companies to invest more heavily into R&D and this was an area in which India could score. With its cost-competitive knowledge based human resource, the country could well emerge as an outsourcing destination in R&D.