Shri Rajeev Kher, Commerce Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, today said that India is rebranding itself as not only the pharmacy to the world, but also the "responsible health care giver" to the world.

At the 27th International Pharmaceutical R&D and Manufacturing Expo/Conference in Tokyo today, Shri Kher added that Indian medicines are not only affordable and of top quality meeting the regulatory requirement of the toughest regulatory markets in US and EU, but now include all the arms of the health care, generics, innovator drugs, medical equipments, vaccines, surgical and non surgical interventions in state of art hospitals. He mentioned that “India is doing cutting edge work in biologics and biotechnology as well as nanotechnology.” He also said that in terms of drug discovery and R&D spend, “India figures amongst world`s top three countries.”

In his keynote speech on “The India Pharmaceutical Industry―Hidden Potential Power” Shri Kher emphasized that “there is a win - win possibility for both India and Japan in pharma cooperation.”

Mr Habil Khorakiwala, past president of FICCI and founder of Wockhardt highlighted the critical cutting research and development work happening in India. He mentioned that though India is already well-known on the strength of its the generics, having captured nearly 10% of the world market, the Indian large corporates are leading R&D spenders, with USD 5 billion being earmarked for the year 2014-15.

Earlier Commerce Secretary Shri Kher inaugurated the India Pavilion where 120 leading pharma exhibitors are showcasing their products in one the biggest pharma products show in the world have put up one of the finest India branded marketing initiative ever in a foreign market. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry has organized the event in association with Department of Commerce, Government of India. The pharma event at the Toyko Big Sight is going to continue till July 4, 2014.

Pharmaceutical cooperation: India promotes high-quality affordable medicines and expanded R&D collaboration with Japan through a major trade showcase. India's pharmaceutical sector is presented as a global supplier of affordable, high-quality medicines and comprehensive health-care products, emphasizing compliance with stringent regulatory standards and advances in biologics, biotechnology and nanotechnology, alongside significant industry R&D investment. The release promotes bilateral pharma cooperation with Japan and trade-promotion through a government-supported India Pavilion at a major Tokyo expo showcasing domestic manufacturers and corporate R&D leadership to deepen market access and commercial collaboration.