TB diagnostics in India: From importation and imitation to innovation
- August 25 - 26, 2011, Bangalore, India
- Host : St. John’s Research Institute, Bangalore, India
- Sponsors : McGill University & Global Health Strategies
- Technical partners : Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, International Centre for
- Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), India & Stop TB Partnership
- Industry partners : Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE) & Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
- Media partners: BioSpectrum Asia, Express Pharma & Express Healthcare
Context and rationale
The scale up of DOTS in India is a great public health accomplishment, and yet undiagnosed and poorly managed TB continues to fuel the epidemic. Recognizing these challenges, the Government of India has set an ambitious goal of providing universal access to quality diagnosis and treatment for all TB patients. Innovative tools and delivery systems in both the public and private sectors are critical for reaching this goal. The current in-vitro diagnostics market in India is dominated by imported and generic products, with virtually no innovations. But India has the potential to solve its TB problem with “home-grown” solutions. Just as Indian pharma and biotech companies revolutionized access to high-quality, affordable AIDS drugs and hepatitis vaccines through generic production, Indian diagnostic companies could also become the world’s hub for high-quality generic diagnostics. India also has the potential to lead the world in developing innovative TB diagnostics. For this to happen, Indian industry must move from the import and imitation approach to genuine innovation in both product development as well as delivery. This will require permissive policies, enhanced funding, and greater collaboration between government, donors, researchers and the private industry.
Content and themes
This conference will convene industry leaders, innovative thinkers, researchers, funders, and policy makers, to stimulate increased industry/biotech engagement in diagnostic innovations that can help TB control in India and elsewhere. Sessions will focus on topics such as market size for TB diagnostics, IVD market analysis and value chain, target product profiles and market needs, frugal innovation and affordable diagnostics, intellectual property issues, regulation of diagnostics, sources of funding, prize models, business models for engaging private sector, scientific obstacles for R&D, barriers to innovation in India, academia-industry relations, and role of emerging economies and BRICS in the next wave of TB innovations.
Confirmed speakers & panelists
- Anu Acharya, Ocimum Biosolutions, Hyderabad, India
- Ramnik Ahuja, Confederation of Indian Industry, India
- Tanjore Balganesh, AstraZeneca, Bangalore, India
- Steven Buchsbaum, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA
- Sanjeev Chaudhry, SRL, India
- Vir S. Chauhan, ICGEB, New Delhi, India
- Anand Daniel, Accel Partners, Bangalore, India
- Satya Dash, Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises, India
- Dhananjaya Dendukuri, Achira Labs, Bangalore, India
- Pradip Desai, Span Diagnostics, Surat, India
- Bindu Dey, Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
- Puneet Dewan, WHO, SEARO, New Delhi, India
- Gopi Gopalakrishnan, World Health Partners, New Delhi, India
- Sami Guzder, Avesthagen, Bangalore, India
- Rekha Hemrajani, Exelixis Inc. & Omidyar Network, USA
- Szymon Jaroslawski, IBAB, Bangalore, India
- Nalini Krishnan, REACH, Chennai, India
- Rishikesha Krishnan, IIM, Bangalore, India
- Ashok Kumar, Central TB Division, DGHS, New Delhi, India
- Blessi Kumar, TB/HIV activist and consultant, Delhi, India
- BV Ravi Kumar, XCyton Diagnostics, Bangalore, India
- Bala S Manian, ReaMetrix, Bangalore, India
- Jaykumar Menon, X Prize Foundation, USA
- Shirshendu Mukherjee, Wellcome Trust, India
- Chandrasekhar Nair, BigTec Labs, Bangalore, India
- Anjali Nayyar, Global Health Strategies, India
- V Raja, GE Healthcare, Bangalore, India
- Viveka Roychowdhury, Express Pharma & Express Healthcare, India
- Camilla Rodrigues, Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai, India
- Gayatri Saberwal, IBAB, Bangalore, India
- Sandeep Sen, Sen Labs, Patna, India
- Anand Sivaraman, Remidio, Bangalore, India
- Narayanan Suresh, BioSpectrum Asia & Technology Review, India
- Peter Small, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA
- Natarajan Sriram, Tulip Group, Goa, India
- Soumya Swaminathan, TRC, Chennai
- Javid Syed, Treatment Action Group, New York, USA
- Jaya Tyagi, AIIMS, New Delhi, India
- Brad Tytel, Global Health Strategies, India & New York
- Suresh Vazirani, Transasia Biomedicals, Mumbai, India
- Suri Venkatachalam, Connexios, Bangalore, India
- Gene Walther, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA
Space is limited. Industry participants from India will get preference.Registration form available at: www.sjri.res.in
Meeting coordinators
- Dr John Kenneth, MD, SJRI, Bangalore [johnkennet@gmail.com]
- Dr Madhukar Pai, MD, PhD, McGill University, Montreal [madhukar.pai@mcgill.ca]
