With the aim of encouraging innovation in India, Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI) has instituted, as public private partnership initiative along with NIPER and CSIR, OPPI Scientists and Young Scientists Awards.

"Access to innovative medicines can change the health of a nation. As an industry, we are committed to delivering innovative medicines that address the unmet medical needs of India. We urge the government to offer greater IPR protection to pharmaceutical companies to encourage continued efforts towards drug discovery and development needed to combat diseases," said Mr. Christopher Viehbacher, President, EFPIA (European federation of Pharmaceutical industries and associations) and CEO Sanofi, at the 47th AGM of the OPPI.

Viebacher referred to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) set by the UN for 2015 and said, "While India had made remarkable strides in reducing child mortality; what would further help India realize its vision for universal healthcare is an enabling environment and policy framework, with partnerships, open dialogue and transparency amongst public and private stakeholders."

Mr Tapan Ray, Director General OPPI announced the election of Dr Shailesh Ayyangar, Managing Director - India and Vice President, South Asia, Sanofi India Ltd as the new President of OPPI and Mr Sudarshan Jain, Managing Director, Healthcare Solutions, Abbott Healthcare Pvt Ltd; Mr Pheroze Khan, Managing Director, Bristol-Myers Squibb India Pvt Ltd, Mr Aijaz Tobaccowalla, Managing Director, Pfizer Ltd and Mr Lawrence Ganti, GM India, Merck Ltd. (Merck Serono) as the Vice Presidents.

Dr Shailesh Ayyangar, Incoming President OPPI said "I am honored to have been nominated by my colleagues to be the President of the OPPI for the year 2013-2014." "We are at a historic crossroads where future generations would judge us by the actions we take today to improve healthcare access for the vast population of our country. Along with my colleagues in OPPI, we will join hands with all stakeholders - Government in State and Center, NGO's engaged in Healthcare issues, healthcare providers, industry colleagues and academic institutions - to create an ecosystem of innovation and quality in our country to serve our number one priority - the patients of India" Dr Ayyangar added.

Present at the meeting were Mr Dilsher Singh Kalha, Secretary Department of Pharmaceuticals (DOP) as the Guest of honor and MD, CEO and top executives of Pharmaceutical Companies, key opinion leaders, senior government officials, experts and media persons. Also the awards were given to encourage original research and innovation in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences in India. This year's winners were:
- Best Scientist Award (CSIR): Dr Gangadhar J Sanjayan, National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Pune
- Best Scientist Award (Academic Institute): Dr Ellora Sen, National Brain Research Centre, Haryana
- Best Scientist Awards (Pharma Research Center): Dr Prabhu Datt Mishra, Piramal Enterprises Ltd, Mumbai