Bangalore
based Sami Labs Limited, a global herbal research major and
a 100 per cent EOU, will be shortly establishing a biotech
incubator providing seed capital to enterprising scientists
for setting up their facilities in Bangalore. This will be
a boon to small startups which are not able to commence operations
for want of funds.
Sami
Labs, which manufacturers and markets plants extracts for
pharmaceuticals intermediates, has allocated Rs.50 crore for
these biotech activities besides other related drug development
operations to produce probotics, an oil eating bacteria. The
company has also identified a new molecule which increases
skin permeability.
In
an interview with pharmabiz.com. Dr. Muhammed Majeed, Managing
Director, Sami Labs said the current focus of the company
was in nutraceuticals and biotechnology. "The incubator
is expected to be set up in two years time. Unless the
right kind of approach is charted out, the biotech start-ups
will fail to take off in India," said Dr. Majeed, who
also heads Sabinsa Corp., New Jersey, USA, which deals with
manufacture and marketing of herbal extracts and is ranked
among top 100 companies in USA.
In
the wake of the biotech revolution in India and more so in
Bangalore, Sami Labs is ready to take the risk of assisting
biotech entrepreneurs, to give them the base and seed capital
to take off, averred Dr. Majeed.
The
incubator, according to Dr. Majeed, will be a gigantic facility
and will help undertake advanced research and development
activities. One of the main reasons to focus on R & D
has been that India has a talented pool of scientists, he
said. The incubator will be easier for companies to utilise
the R & D set up. Another effort by the company is that
it will give Indian scientists abroad, particularly from the
US, an opportunity to return to India and do research in a
state-of-the-art incubator, indicated Dr. Majeed.
The
company will also enhance its successful biotech research
activities which it commenced last year and is looking at
drug development from natural products and at the same time
looking at entering into herbal formulations in big way.
The
other project on hand is the setting up of a 100-acre Research
Demonstration Farm at a cost of around Rs.3 crore by the year
end.
Presently,
Sami Labs is in the advanced stage of discussions with major
MNCs for strategic alliances in the areas of biotechnology
and nurtaceuticals. The company recently tied up with Neeja
Pharmaceuticals, Canada for the development of a new generation
antibiotic which is awaiting patent clearance in India.
Sami
Labs, set up in 1991, has been a pioneer in extracts. Some
of these extracts are, Curcuminoids (turmeric) from which
it developed a colourless substance for use in cosmetics,
Garcinia Cambogia (hydro citiric acid from Kokum fruit to
reduce fat deposits in the body), Boswellia Serrate and Gugulipid
(for cholestrol reduction). The discoverty of these extracts
won the company several national awards.
The
company is also the largest produced of L-Selenomethionine
worldwide, used as a micronutrient source with anti-tumorigenic
potency. The product supplied by sami Labs going through a
National Cancer Insitute, USA- sponsored clinical study of
prostrate cancer.
Sami
Labs registered a turnover of Rs.54 crore this year. By the
year end it will register a turnover of Rs.80 crore and is
on its way to becoming a Rs.100 crore enterprise next year.
The
company has set up four state-of-the-art manufacturing plants
in Karnataka at Singasandara, Kunigal, Mysore and at Nelamangala
(biotechnology) at an investment cost of Rs.35 crore.
The
company currently holds 17 patents 10 of them pending
from the US, beside around 15 European and international
patents for its range of extracts.
Nandita Vijay,
Bangalore.