
NIPER Lending a Helping Hand to Pharma MSMEs
India has a large number of small and medium pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, especially in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector. While they play a vital role in the pharma industry, these small businesses often face challenges like lack of advanced facilities, limited research and development capabilities, and difficulties in upgrading to the latest quality standards. To help address these issues, the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) is stepping in to provide technical expertise and research assistance to pharma MSMEs across the country. NIPER has a network of seven institutes located in different cities.
According to Dr. V Ravichandran, Director of NIPER Kolkata, all the NIPER institutes are willing to collaborate with pharma industries, especially MSMEs, to boost their production potential and quality management capabilities. The institutes can offer their expertise in various complex areas of drug production and product development. This includes manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), key starting materials (KSMs), medical devices, herbal medicines, biosimilars and biological products using the latest technologies.
Dr. Ravichandran also explained that pharma MSMEs can work jointly with NIPERs to upgrade their manufacturing facilities to meet the revised Schedule M of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940. The institutes have advanced research infrastructure that MSMEs can utilize.
The government has also introduced a new scheme called 'Promotion of Research and Innovation in the Pharmaceutical and Medical Technology Sector (PRIP)' to encourage such collaborations between pharma companies and institutes like NIPER. The scheme has a substantial funding of Rs 5,000 crore over five years. Under PRIP, pharma enterprises can engage in collaborative research projects with NIPERs and access their research facilities for drug production and molecular development studies. For instance, a major company like Sun Pharmaceuticals has already partnered with NIPER Kolkata for research on anti-obesity drugs.
There is also the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Promotion and Development Scheme (PMPDS) that facilitates growth and development of the pharma and medical devices sectors through studies, surveys, awareness programs and database creation. By leveraging the technical know-how and research capabilities of institutes like NIPER, India's pharma MSMEs can enhance their manufacturing processes, develop new innovative products and uplift their overall standards to become more competitive in the global market.