Neglected diseases become tomorrow’s global pandemics, says Bharat Biotech Executive Chairman

In a world where neglected diseases have the potential to become pandemics, it is very critical for India and Africa to control them effectively as all of these diseases are located in Asia and Africa, Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech International Dr Krishna M Ella said on Friday.

Delivering the Foundation Day lecture at CSIR-NIIST here, Dr Ella said it is significant to note that in vaccine national security, India is on par with US and Europe.

India’s clinical trials on Covid-19 vaccines are the world’s largest next to the US, he further said.

Dr Ella, who is also the Chairman, Research Council, CSIR-NIIST, said Bharat Biotech was the first one to isolate Chickungunya virus infection through an indigenously-developed vaccine when it spread in Kerala in 2006.

Chairman and Managing Director of IREL, Mumbai Deependra Singh was the Guest of Honour at the Foundation Day celebration of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and CSIR-NIIST (National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology) on its campus at Pappanamcode here.

Director of CSIR-NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram Dr C Anandharamakrishnan presided over the function.

“Zika virus, which was anticipated to be spread, went from Madagascar to Brazil. We made a global pattern of it. Now we are doing phase-3 efficacy trials in Philippines, Thailand, Columbia and Guatemala,” said Dr Ella.

He also reflected on the transformation of Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech into a global leader in innovative vaccine.

Bharat Biotech developed the indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, COVAXIN, in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Dr Ella noted that the entire emerging markets depend on Indian vaccine and India is the third country in the world to complete efficacy trials.

Commenting that innovation is the key to the future, Dr Ella said creating an ecosystem for youngsters in the country is vital as a combination of skill sets and knowledge makes a difference.

According to him, Indians are creating unicorns (privately held startup company valued at over $1 billion) globally and Indians dominate the list of non-US born unicorn founders in the US.

Dr Ella stressed that the keys for India’s next century innovation include stable economy, digitalisation, infrastructure, and evolving and changing of the ecosystem.

He also inaugurated the Food Architecture Lab of CSIR-NIIST and released the annual report of NIIST.

In his address, Dr Anandharamakrishnan said that over the years, CSIR-NIIST has been able to deliver what industry and society needs prominently.

MoUs signed by CSIR-NIIST with NIF-India & Vibha Vani, Kerala State Pollution Control Board, Peekay Steels, MKN Bricks & Blue Metals (P) Ltd, Hydronest and Sree Chitra Thirunal College of Engineering were exchanged at the function, an official statement said.