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Ahmedabad Likely To Get First National
Medical Device Centre
The $2-billion Indian medical device sector is set to get a
push with the Centre considering setting up the country’s first National Centre
for Excellence for Medical Devices in Ahmedabad.
The Centre is already spending Rs. 330 crore in setting up
NIPER Ahmedabad, which is coming up on 60 acres at the outskirts of the city.
According to the director of DOP, Mr. RC Jha, the national
medical device centre will take 3-4 years to get operation.
NIPER, Ahmedabad, is already conducting a study to find out
the status of medical industry in India. Similarly even IL&FS is conducting a
pre-feasibility study for setting up a green field project for a medical device
cluster at Ahmedabad.
In an earlier statement given to ET, Dr Harish Padh, project
of NIPER, Ahmedabad had said, “Gujarat’s contribution in medical device was
nearly 90% in the country, which has recently, come down to 60%”. The purpose of
the study is to bring the medical device under mainstream pharma industry.
As per the primary findings of NIPER report, more and more
bio-material and high-end medical engineering, small-size companies are coming
up in and around Ahmedabad. Earlier, most of the medical device makers were in
low-value business segment like Intravenous Infusion (IV) sets manufactures. Now
many companies are manufacturing high value products like ocular lenses (used in
cataract treatment), biomedical apparatus, cardiac stent and subdermal products.
Out of six Pan-India NIPER centres, each should have its core
area of specialization, and Ahmedabad centre has medical devices as its core
competence area. This is the reason why we are also considering to bring
National Centre for Excellence for Medical Device here, he said.
The state government has already declared NIPER as the centre
of excellence for testing, standardisation and conducting clinical trials of
Herbal and Ayurvedic medicines. The state government recently sanctioned four
projects to the tune of Rs 4 crore in the field of Herbal and Ayurvedic
medicines, biotech and Biotech formulations, and PERD will contribute equally to
fund the projects.
Taking about the overall, contribution that NIPER would make
to Indian economy, Mr. Kumar said that he expects all the NIOERs to generate
5,00,000 manpower and add $20 billion to country’s GDP by 2020.
(Ref : The Economic Times, dated August 5, 2009)
Essel Propack Medical Biz Up For Sale
PLASTIC packaging company Essel propack has put its medical
devices business based in the US and Singapore on the block as part of its plan
to get rid of non-core businesses to meet its capital expenditure requirements.
The world’s largest manufacturer of laminated tubes, used for
toothpastes, has initiated discussions with potential suitors to sell its
medical devices business estimated at around Rs 100 crore, a person close to the
development told ET NOW.
The Rs 1300-crore company, which has manufacturing facilities
in 14 countries, has expanded its business largely through global acquisitions.
Essel propack entered medical devices business by acquiring
US-based Tacpro Inc and Singapore-based Avalon Medical Services in March 2006.
In 2008, it bought MED Inc and Catheter & Disposables Tech. The total size of
its medical devices business is estimated to be around Rs 100 crore.
The Mumbai-based company is into manufacturing plastic and
plastic packaging products and specialty packaging.
(Ref: The Economic Times, dated Aug. 18, 2009)
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