India reaches out to American pharma companies to invest in pharmaceutical and medical devices sector

With growing urgency for medicines and medical devices due to the surging COVID-19 pandemic, India has reached out to top American pharma companies to invest in the pharmaceutical and medical devices sector.

According to PTI, India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu held virtual meetings with Alberta Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer, Thermo Fisher CEO Marc Casper, Bernd Brust, the chairman and CEO of Antylia Scientific and Joseph Repp, the CEO of Pall Life Sciences.

During his interactions, the diplomat mentioned that India is seeking to encourage investments into the pharmaceutical and medical devices sector. He informed that India has recently launched a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme that will provide the US companies new opportunities for investment.

“Discussed ways in which Pfizer could support healthcare efforts, including vaccines in India, and strengthen our pandemic response,” Sandhu said after his meeting with Alberta Bourla last week.

Alberta Bourla, on Monday, said that Pfizer was following with deep concern the critical COVID-19 situation in India, and his company was doing everything possible to provide support. “We have announced we are mobilizing the largest humanitarian relief effort in our country’s history to help the people of India fight the vicious second wave of coronavirus that is currently ravaging the nation,” he said. Pfizer also announced that it will donate enough of its medicines worth USD 70 million to ensure than every COVID-19 patient in every public hospital across India can have access to them in the next 90 days free of charge.

Sandhu in an interaction with Thermo Fisher CEO Marc Casper underlined their important role in the fight against the pandemic, including expediting supplies to India of raw materials for Covishield vaccine as well as for essential medicines such as remdesivir. The Massachusetts-based company is critical in the supply chain for biopharma products. It offers analytical instruments, laboratory equipment, chemicals and supplies to pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies.

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In regards to talks with Repp, CEO of Pall Life Sciences, the ambassador said he discussed strengthening supply chains and expediting inputs for critical medicines such as remdesivir and Novavax vaccine. Sandhu appreciated the efforts of Antylia Scientific to ensure timely inputs for Covishield and Novavax vaccines. He also had a call with Emmanuel Ligner, CEO and president of Cytiva – a global provider of technologies and services that advance and accelerate the development and manufacture of therapeutics.