New Delhi, Apr 22 (IANS): The government is considering bringing a policy to promote manufacturing of patented drugs in India, Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Friday.

Addressing a media conference ahead of 7th edition of India Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Conference 2022, scheduled from April 25 to 27, along with Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba, he said that to make India self-reliant in the manufacturing of key materials and products and to reduce dependence on other countries, they identified several APIs and started their manufacturing in the country itself.

Apart from generic medicines, he also focused on increasing the patented drug manufacturing.

"We now must look forward to be agile against the global competition. We have to focus on other aspects like international partners, global supply chains, digital expertise implementation. Our own requirement is increasing as the accessibility to health is increasing," Mandaviya said.

"Recent pandemic scenario has shown the resilience of this sector and we must work towards strengthening this further. We will engage with industry and academia to chalk roadmap for pharma and medical devices for next 25 years. Indian pharma industry is known globally for its affordable and quality drugs. We shall soon get the competitive edge in medical devices too with research and innovation," he added.

Mandaviya said India is already seen as the pharmacy of the world and "from our philosophy we not only consider pharmaceutical sector as a business but also as a 'seva' (services)".

"Various initiatives by the Department, such as the 'Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks' and 'Promotion of Med-tech Parks' envisage the creation of world-class common infrastructure facilities. Our competitive advantage over other nations is price competitiveness and quality," Khuba said.

This year, the India Pharma is planned around the theme: 'India Pharma-Vision 2047: Transformative agenda for future'. For India Medical Device, the theme is 'Transforming Healthcare through Innovation & Integrated Services'. The discussions planned in a span of 3 days will bring in new opportunities and ideas to make Indian the global leader in quality medicines and to ensure the availability, accessibility, and affordability of drugs and medical devices in the country.