GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.97
TO BE ANSWERED ON 17-02-2009

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN DRUGS

97. SHRI UDAY SINGH:
Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

(a) the details of research projects funded by the Government in the health sector during each of the last three years, product-wise and time taken on each project;
(b) whether majority of such Government funded projects are abandoned midway and illegally outsourced to multinational companies;
(c) if so, the reaction of the Government thereto and steps being taken by the Government in this regard;
(d) whether small scale pharma units are not associated with such Government funded projects; and
(e) if so, the reasons therefor and the reaction of the Government thereto?

ANSWER
MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTER OF EARTH SCIENCES
(KAPIL SIBAL)

(a) Several Government Ministries / Departments / Agencies like Department of Science & Technology (DST), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Earth Sciences are funding research projects in health sector. As per the latest data compiled by DST on Extramural Research and Development, the number of projects funded by various scientific agencies on medical sciences during 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 were 286, 344 and 565 with an investment of Rs.55.56 crores, Rs. 126.60 crores and Rs. 372.84 crores respectively. This inter-alia included development of medicines for several diseases such as malaria, filaria, cancer, ulcer, tuberculosis, kala azar, leucoderma, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, diarrhoea, pancreatitis, gastritis, heart diseases, hypertension, diabetes, AIDS and vaccines for rota virus, cholera, rabies, tuberculosis, typhoid, HIV, malaria etc. These projects were funded to national labs, universities & colleges, institutes of national importance and industries including the small scale ones, wherever required. The project duration generally spanned upto three years.
(b) to (e): No, Sir. Majority of these projects are concluded meeting their objectives within the specified timeframe. The Indian pharma industries, both small and large actively participated in various Government funded programmes like Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Research Programme (DPRP) of DST, New Millennium India Technology Leadership Initiatives (NMITLI) of CSIR, Small Business Innovative Research Initiatives (SBIRI) of DBT, Technology Development and Demonstration Programme (TDDP) of DSIR in drug research in the country.