Rs 150-Crore Pharma R&D Fund Set to Roll

Will the Rs 150-crore research and development (R&D) fund for the pharmaceutical industry finally get off the blocks, a good five years after it was first announced in budget 2000-01? "We now have the fund and it will be the complete Rs 150 crore, not just the interest amount of about Rs 10 crore. We will soon be coming out with advertisements asking pharma companies to send in their proposals to avail of the funds," Prof V.S. Ramamurthy, Secretary, Science and Technology, told Business Line.

The Hindu Business Line (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/03/14/stories/2005031402040100.htm)