'Punjab will be the new pharmaceutical hub'

Badal stressed that Punjab would be a health tourism destination in the country in the coming years

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday said Punjab was all set to emerge as the pharmaceutical hub of the country, with foremost health sector players eying towards the state for their major investment plans in the Medicity at New Chandigarh in the next two years. He stressed that Punjab would be a health tourism destination in the country in the coming years.

He was interacting here with a delegation of Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI) during the course of which he discussed the state investment policy relevant to biosciences, pharmaceuticals and health care sectors. Badal called upon the biosciences, pharmaceuticals and health care industrialists to invest in the state as Punjab had implemented an investor friendly investment policy and established an exclusive Medicity at New Chandigarh in the periphery of Chandigarh and SAS Nagar.

Focusing on health care, pharmaceuticals and biosciences sector, the Deputy CM affirmed that Punjab would soon attract big investments in these fastest growing knowledge based sectors with the availability of pharma and medical technology. Badal said Punjab had put bio-sciences and health care sectors on priority. He said there was huge potential for including knowledge based eco-system at peripheral SAS Nagar with availability of pharma manufacturing around Baddi and availability of medical technology in the state.

The OPPI executive members present in the meeting included Shailesh Ayyangar, MD Sanofi India and President of OPPI; Sudarshan Jain, MD Abbott Healthcare; Aijaz Tobaccowalla MD Pfizer; Angel-Michael Evangelista Country Head Bayer Pharmaceuticals; K Shivkumar, MD Eisai Pharmaceuticals; G Sathya Narayanan, MD Galderma India; Sanjiv Navangul, MD Janssen India (Johnson & Johnson); Aman Bajaj, MD Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Ramesh Panchagnula, VP Nektar India.