Biopharma & medical devices cos view advanced infrastructure to propel manufacturing & new drug development

Biopharma & medical devices cos view advanced infrastructure to propel manufacturing & new drug development


Posted on November 22, 2024 Updated on November 17, 2024

Critical infrastructure in biopharma and medical devices plays a vital role in enabling innovation, bolstering research and development, and ensuring the production of novel drugs and products. It ensures scalability, quality control, and regulatory compliance.

By investing in advanced labs, manufacturing facilities, regulatory compliance systems, cybersecurity, and global supply chains, companies can ensure they meet the high standards required to bring safe, effective, and innovative products to market. Moreover, with rapid advances in digital technologies, automation, and collaboration, infrastructure is also evolving to support faster, more efficient R&D and manufacturing processes.

According to Vishal Goel, managing director, RX Propellant, the newly introduced Biotechnology for Economy, Environment, and Employment (BioE3) Policy signals a strategic direction for sustainable biomanufacturing in India, addressing critical global challenges like climate change and diminishing natural resources. The initiative aligns with India’s broader goals of Green Growth, a Net Zero economy, and sustainable development.

Over the next decade, Bio-AI hubs, innovation, and a skilled workforce will be central to amplifying India’s role in biomanufacturing and bringing it closer to achieving a net-zero carbon future. It brings in winds of change creating opportunities for healthcare companies to scale their production and integrate advanced technologies such as AI and synthetic biology into their processes. It emphasizes building Bio-AI hubs and biomanufacturing facilities that provide industry partners and start-ups with the infrastructure to produce specialized outputs focusing on six key areas: bio-based chemicals and enzymes, functional foods, precision biotherapeutics, climate-resilient agriculture, carbon capture, and advanced marine and space biotechnology research, he added.

Besides, the BioE3 Policy in the context of the Biosecure Act accelerates supply chain diversification, providing life sciences companies a chance to meet global demand more effectively. International biotechnology policies from the United States and the Netherlands offer valuable insights into how governments can utilize biotech innovations to benefit society and the economy. India’s BioE3 Policy shares similarities with these global strategies but takes a more holistic approach, he noted.

While international frameworks often focus on specific sectors like healthcare and agriculture, BioE3 situates biomanufacturing at the core of India’s economic transformation. The policy’s emphasis on decentralizing biomanufacturing through hubs in Tier-II and Tier-III cities sets it apart, ensuring regional growth and job creation. These facilities provide critical infrastructure for the biopharma, biotechnology, and medical device industries, bolstering research, development, and production for startups, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and researchers as they scale from lab to market.

We see the BioE3 policy is set to transform India’s biotech and pharma industries by expanding applications into several emerging fields. The policy enables eco-friendly alternatives to traditional products, such as plastics and milk, using precision fermentation and high-tech carbon capture techniques. This approach strengthens India’s emergence as a leader through innovations like organogenesis, bio-based chemicals, cell and gene therapies, and mRNA therapeutics. Biomanufacturing will drive growth creating jobs, pushing regional economies forward, and increasing infrastructure demand. By 2047, India is projected to be among the world’s top biotech powerhouses, advancing healthcare, sustainability, and economic growth, which is in line with Viksit Bharat’s target, said Goel.

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