Make available quality drugs at affordable prices; VP

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Saturday stressed the need to make world class drugs available at affordable prices, with thrust on research and innovation.

"There should be an unwavering commitment to high standards of quality in drug manufacturing and quality frameworks such as Good Manufacturing Practices should strictly be adhered to," he said.

Addressing the second decennial celebrations of Sarojini Naidu Vanita Pharmacy Maha Vidyalaya in Hyderabad, he called for a thrust on research and innovation.

The Vice President said new healthcare challenges were emerging every day, especially with the alarming rise in the number of non-communicable and lifestyle diseases and cancers.

"New molecules and new drugs will have to be discovered and treatment protocols will have to be continuously upgraded and updated. All this will have to be achieved without compromising on the affordability of drugs," he said.

While major multinationals and pharma companies would be interested in producing and selling drugs that cater to common and chronic diseases affecting larger populations, there was a need to develop new molecules and drugs to combat lesser known diseases, particularly the group called 'rare diseases', affecting more than 70 million people in India, he said.

While it is estimated that there are around 7,000 rare diseases in the world, most diseases have no treatment and the costs are prohibitively expensive in cases where they are available, he said