HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Pharma City, which would be an integrated cluster for pharmaceutical industries with thrust on R&D and manufacturing, will transform the State capital into a life sciences hub in the world, said IT & Industries Minister KT Rama Rao.
This cluster has been recognised as National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ), by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Conceived with an objective to create an innovative seeding cluster, including the establishment of a world-class life sciences university and a Centre of Excellence, the Pharma City will offer a platform to life sciences companies and help them move up the value chain.
In an informal chat with the mediapersons on Tuesday, Rama Rao said that a few court cases are pending with regard to establishing the city, which would be cleared soon. “Pharma City is coming up in over 10,000 acres. So far we have not allotted any piece of land to any pharma company. Once the doors for Pharma City are opened, Hyderabad will be in a position to tackle pandemics like Covid-19,” he said.
Hyd to manufacture
50% of global vaccines
The Minister said that Hyderabad currently supplies vaccines to around 150 countries. “At present, around 900 crore vaccine doses are manufactured per year in various facilities in Hyderabad. In the coming years, the capacity would rise to 1,400 crore doses, which translates to 50 per cent of global supply of vaccines,” the Minister said.
According to him, Hyderabad has become one of the major hubs for pharmaceuticals in the country. “Believe it or not, Hyderabad has the highest number of 214 US Food Drug and Administration (USFDA) certified units and second position is occupied by New Jersey with 189,” he said.
Jobs in pharma & life sciences to be doubled
The Minister said that Telangana would consolidate its strengths like Pharma City, Genome Valley, Medical Devices Park and B-Hub to fulfill the growing life sciences ecosystem of $100 billion by 2028.
“In this regard, jobs in pharma and life-sciences would also be doubled. At present, around four lakh people are working in various positions in these sectors and Telangana aims to increase the jobs to eight lakhs,” he informed.
“Meanwhile, Genome Valley is on expansion mode with the construction of 20 lakh sqft of R&D focussed lab space,” he said, adding that this space will be absorbed in next two to three years. At present, Genome Valley has 30 lakh sqft of lab space.