Covid Has Created An 'Ecosystem' Of Innovation In India: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, 68, is one of the key speakers at the 15th edition of the annual virtual summit on June 22 hosted by the USA India Chambers of Commerce.

The ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis has resulted in the creation of an "ecosystem" of innovation in India, Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has said ahead of the annual India-US bio-pharma summit in Boston next week. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, 68, is one of the key speakers at the 15th edition of the annual virtual summit on June 22 hosted by the USA India Chambers of Commerce. The other star-studded speakers include Dr Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer; Dr Francis Collins, Director, National Institutes of Health; Dr Janet Woodcock, Acting Commissioner, US Food and Drug Administration; and Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog. "The whole intent (of the more than a decade old annual India-US bio pharma summit) is to catalyse an innovation ecosystem in India. I think, COVID-19 has actually created the ecosystem," she told PTI in an interview. COVID-19, she, noted, has actually resulted in innovative vaccines being produced, such as Covaxin, Genova mRNA programme, and many other programmes that the Indian vaccine makers have licensed and developed in the country.