NEW DELHI, January 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

A press conference was organized by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India on 12th January, 2016 from 12.00 noon at the CSIR Science Centre, New Delhi. The theme was on Med-Tech Innovation for Make-in-India, Hon'ble Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan presided over the press conference and shared details on new affordable products developed, which are of societal and public health relevance. Dr. Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, DBT, and other senior DBT officials were present at the event.

The Hon'ble Minister while addressing the press conference said, "The 'Make in India' initiative led by the Honourable Prime Minister aims to transform the country and propel the country to greater heights. Innovation in healthcare and medical technology is especially of paramount importance and can accelerate the country's social and economic growth. The Department of Biotechnology, since its inception, has spearheaded biomedical research in the country and continues to do so and I commend their remarkable achievements which has led to the improvement of the lives of millions (lakhs) of Indians."

The Hon'ble Minister informed the gathering that:

Medical technology industry in India is currently the fourth largest in Asia ; and India was valued at US$6.3 billion in 2013

is currently the fourth largest in ; and was valued at in 2013 Growing at 10-12% per year until 2025 implies an overall healthcare spend of US$250-350 billion

Current penetration levels of 8% implies a domestic market of $20-25 billion

Globally the medical technology market is expected to be $600 billion by 2025 implying a manufacturing base of $200 billion by then

by 2025 implying a manufacturing base of by then India will capture 10% of that share by 2025 in line with China's share today. This will lead to an opportunity of at least $20 billion by 2025

will capture 10% of that share by 2025 in line with share today. This will lead to an opportunity of at least by 2025 Indian device market consists of medical instruments, orthopaedic and ophthalmic devices, syringes, needles, catheters, scanning devices and bandages

Realizing the need for medical technology innovation, the Department of Biotechnology is promoting this sector by supporting various programmes across the country, which have successfully resulted in affordable products of societal and public health relevance.

This area has seen a large number of successful scientists' entrepreneurs and young start-ups building their own enterprises. The complete value chain form product innovation to commercialization has been facilitated and today, we have about 40 medical devices and diagnostics some of which have received USFDA clearances.

Biodesign programme is one of the examples of inclusive medical technology innovation. This is based on a novel approach of end-to-end process that begins with idea generation through clinical immersion up to commercialization by a multi-disciplinary team comprising a physician, engineer, product designer, and an entrepreneur. The objective of this programme is to train the next generation of medical technology innovators who will in turn focus on invention and early stage development of low-cost new medical technologies for the Indian population. The aim is to develop simple, rapid, indigenous, low-cost medical devices and implants by applying 4 components i.e., affordability, accessibility, availability and appropriateness.

Under this initiative, several indigenous technologies have been developed to address unmet medical needs of India. As an outcome, more than 100 innovators have been trained. Several national and international patents have been filed. About 30 prototypes have been developed. 9 start-up companies have been established by the Fellows and interns of this programme. 13 technologies have been licensed and 9 start-up companies launched. International collaborations have been established with Stanford University, USA; QUT, Australia; and Tottori University, Japan.

The Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre (HTIC) established at IIT-Madras is delivering innovations and technologies that are reaching the field through government and industry partnerships, bringing benefits to lives and our society. Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) a public sector undertaking set-up by the Department has supported nearly 300 start-ups and SMEs and 150 young entrepreneurs for innovation, research and product development. The biotech startup scenario in India was transformed by BIRAC's flagship schemes - BIG, SBIRI, BIPP, CRS and SPARSH, which have resulted in more than 30 products, 20 technologies, 16 early stage-technologies, 2 process innovations, 40 IP.

Nearly 100 young entrepreneurs have been supported for Med-Tech Innovation and more than 10 Med-Tech Products (devices & diagnostics) supported by BIRAC have been commercialized.

Some of the products commercialized/in the process of commercialization include: a) Fecal Incontinence - a new standard of care for management of fecal incontinence; b) Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation Device - an integrated automated resuscitation system usable in resource constrained environment; c) BioScoop - a soft tissue biopsy device for concurrent biopsy and hemostasis; d) HiCare LIMO:a simple, disposable and cost-effective device, which temporarily immobilizes the lower limbs of patients; e) Intraosseous device - an alternative to intravenous (IV) in emergency patients; f) AINA device - to measure blood glucose, HbA1C, lipids, Creatinine and Haemoglobin; g) Maxico for tumor ablation - device for execution procedure for tumor ablation; h) POC diagnostic for Malaria, Dengue and Typhoid; i) Fibroheal - a device for burn wound management.

New Products launched by the Department of Biotechnology

Name of the Product & Description

Consure: A new standard of care for the short term management of fecal incontinence.

Intraosseous Device: To gain quick access to circulation in clinical emergencies.

LIMO: A better way to temporarily immobilize injured lower limbs in trauma patients before they receive definitive care.

Sohum: A novel device to screen newborns for helping loss in resource poor settings to provide timely intervention and prevent speech loss.

Neobreathe: A way to empower front line health workers to resuscitate newborns effectively.

Transfer life: A simpler way to transfer non ambulatory patients from one bed to another.

Noxeno: An easier way to remove anterior foreign body from the nose without the need for general anesthesia in a primary care setting.

Bioscoop: A safer and simple way to perform percutaneous liver biopsy for definitive diagnosis.

Hansure: Simplifying hand hygiene in hospitals with improved accessibility and functionality.

Uthishtami: An uplift device to help elderly rise independently from a sitting position.

Accufeed: An accurate way to insert nasogastric tube in patients with neurological dysphagia.

Thorashield: A safer way to perform pleural tapping in patients with pleural effusion in order to reduce the complications during the procedure.

Saakar kit: An efficient way to distribute medications to patients in the resource constrained settings in order to minimize mismanagement of medication.

D.Rx: A mobile application to quickly reference names, dosages and prices of drugs sold in India .

. Brun: A way to assess fetal wellbeing labour in resource constrained settings to reduce intrapartum stillbirths and neonatal deaths.

pleuraGoh: A way to secure intercostal drain in tube thoracostomy patients in order to prevent iatrogenic recurrent pneumothorax.

Flexicast: A way to immobilize the fractured limb with a uniform distribution of pressure and aeration in order to prevent skin ulcers and skin discomfort during the cast.

Spinaflex: A method to reduce stress on the back in dentist during dental procedures in order to lessen the risk of work related musculoskeletal disorders.

Sphinx: A novel ostomy appliance that empowers the user by providing better control over their bowel evacuation.

Call Ambulance: A mobile based solution to connect to emergency medical services in the fastest possible manner in India .

. Chest Compression Device: An effective and consistent way to deliver chest compressions to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) victims.

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SOURCE Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India