The Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka, Vision Group on Biotechnology and MM Activ Sci-Tech Communications jointly announced that, Bangalore India Bio (BIB) 2013 will be held from February 4-6, 2013 at the Lalit Ashok Hotel, Bangalore.

The announcement was made by ISN Prasad, principal secretary to Government, Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology, in the presence of Dr Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, chairperson, Karnataka's Vision Group on Biotechnology and CMD, Biocon and Subir Hari Singh, additional chief secretary, Government of Karnataka.

Emphasizing the point that Karnataka is working closely with the biotechnology sector, ISN Prasad mentioned that, “There will be new highlights at the 13th edition of the BIB. We hope that the incubation center for biotechnology will be completed by March. We are also building a large biotech park in Electronics City, Bangalore with the help of Alexandria Park, which we hope will be operational in the next two years.�

When BioSpectrum highlighted the fact that, enrollment in the biotechnology-related courses has declined this year, Dr Kiran Mazumdar Shaw responded by saying that, “Earlier, the curriculum that was taught in the institutions did not meet the industry expectations and hence there has been a vicious cycle of industry not recruiting the graduates and also the students not applying to biotechnology-related courses. We have broken this cycle through the BT finishing schools scheme, where we have done the course correction and the courses are now tailor-made according to what industry requires.�

It is expected that more than 700 delegates, 100 renowned speakers from India and abroad and more than 100 exhibitors will participate. Many MoUs, technical tie-ups and business collaborations are expected to be signed during the three-day Bangalore India Bio 2013 event.

Narayanan Suresh and Vipul Murarka

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Frost & Sullivan Healthcare Awards 2012

It was a double delight for Bharat Serums and Vaccines (BSV) top brass at the Frost and Sullivan Healthcare Excellence Awards 2012, which was held in Mumbai on September 21, 2012. Not only did it manage to bag the coveted fastest growing Indian biotechnology company of the year award, but SIRO Clinpharm, one of India's first CROs started by the BSV management, won the “Indian Clinical Research Organization of the Year�. Bharat Serums and Vaccines invests over 12-14 percent of its revenues into R&D and showed a 30 percent growth in 2011-12.

On receiving the award, Bharat Daftary, CMD, Bharat Serums and Vaccines said that, “Our company was founded to address the lack of biologicals. Over the years , we have strived to address that issue. We were the first company in India to launch a biosimilar recombinant FSH three years ago. Moving ahead too, we will strengthen our R&D capabilities and focus on unmet needs.�

Other winners in the biotech and pharma space included Roche Diagnostics India, bagging the in-vitro diagnostics company of the year, fastest-growing indian international pharmaceutical company of the year being given to Sun Pharmaceuticals, diabetologist's award for the best diabetology company of the year went to Novo Nordisk India. The paediatrician's award for the best vaccine company of the year was awarded to GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals. Abbott India was adjudged the MNC pharmaceutical company of the year and Roche India the best oncology company of the year. Frost & Sullivan also honored Dr Habil Khorakiwala, chairman, Wockhardt Limited, with a special Lifetime Achievement Award.

The 4th Annual India Healthcare Excellence Awards 2012, recognized those companies which displayed innovative growth strategies and solutions in the healthcare industry for 2011-12. The award selection procedure was lauded by the august gathering as impartial and thorough. Frost & Sullivan's analyst team shortlists companies for each award category on the basis of detailed research on pre-defined parameters, followed by interviews with the shortlisted companies to verify facts.

Thompson Reuters honors scientists

India's continuing influence on global scientific research was recognized by the intellectual property and science business of Thomson Reuters. Ten of India's leading researchers were honored during the “Thomson Reuters Research Excellence – India Citation Awards 2012� presentation event held on September 12, 2012 at New Delhi. The ten award recipients were selected based on citation impact analysis conducted by Thomson Reuters, considered as world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals.

Among the 10 recipients, Dr Murali Sashtri received the award in nanobiotechnology category, while others received awards in different areas of science.

Dr Thirumalachari Ramasami, secretary to the Government of India, Department of Science and Technology, who gave away the awards, while appreciating the works done, also pointed out that the purpose is to look at the trends that can give the indications on innovation. “Such occasions help us to catch the trends that could be decisive in furthering the cause of science.�

Pharma companies gear up to follow “Quality by Design�

At the recently held, DIA IT Life Sciences Summit 2012, a host of current topics were discussed at length among senior members of the pharma, CRO and IT communities. Topics such as, Is Pharma exploiting IT enough, Methods to bridge the drug discovery and development chain through IT, Enabling integrated clinical enterprise pharma compliance, Social media and more allowed the audience to actively engage in thought provoking discussions. This was the very first DIA India conference on Information Technology in Life Sciences.

One of the discussions also focused on the need for quality by design in drug discovery and development. The USFDA had made an announcement asking for generic drug manufacturers to implement Quality by Design (QbD) into their Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDA) by 2013. Through the two days of this conference, the attendees heard about latest developments, case studies and solutions from Life Science industry experts. Sessions featured expert presentations on the latest trends and technology advances that are reshaping the life sciences industry. The next IT Life Sciences Summit will be held in July 2013 in Bangalore.