Express awards: Lifetime honour for Cadila chief

At a glittering awards ceremony on Friday evening, attended by the movers and shakers of the Indian pharma industry, Union Minister of Law and Justice, Commerce and Industry Arun Jaitley handed over the awards.

Modi later told the Express: ‘‘It is one of the greatest moments of my life. My vision is to take forward Cadila as a global research-based company.’’

In the Special Category Awards, the award for the Best Bulk Drug Company went to Dr Reddy’s Laboratories. Ranbaxy Laboratories bagged the Best Exporter Award. The Special Recognition Award was presented to Biocon India.

Clearly, the current deadlock in the TRIPS Council where the US is blocking a consensus on the issue of providing drugs at cheap prices for life-threatening diseases like AIDS was foremost in the minds of everyone.

‘‘We are trying to find middle space in the debate between rewarding inventions and the equally important concern of public health, i.e., providing drugs at reasonable costs,’’ said Jaitley.

He added that the developed nations were increasingly concerned about the competition from Indian companies and the next five-seven years would be very crucial for the industry.

Indian Express Group CEO Shekhar Gupta said there was much scope for news coverage of the industry in the media. Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance secretary general Dilip G. Shah, who has been associated with Pharma Pulse awards since their inception, gave the keynote address.