In a major breakthrough in the fight against Malaria, India has unveiled the first indigenously developed anti-Malarial drug Synriam. Launching the drug at a function in New Delhi on Tuesday, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said that it is land mark achievement in the entire pharmaceutical sector . Mr Azad said the next generation drug is safe and there will be no problem in its production of in sufficient quantity. Mr Azad urged the manufacturing company to keep the price of the drug at affordable levels so that poor and needy people are able to access the drug in remote and backward districts of the country.

The minister said the country's pharmaceutical industry is now the third largest in the world in terms of volume and 14th in terms of value, maintaining a growth rate of 12 to 14 per cent annually. Mr Azad said India has emerged as a major leader in world drug industry as it supplies drugs to about 211 countries apart from supplying vaccines to over 150 countries.Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the function, Mr Azad said that the government will this year implement the Clinical Establishment Regulation Act to prevent undesired operations and tests in hospitals.
Speaking on the occasions, Minister for Science and Technology Vilasrao Deshmukh stressed the need to introduce more schemes for affordable health care in the country.