Pharma industry urged to help establish medical research departments

KARACHI: Amid growing incidence of Covid-19 in the country and one wave after another of the pandemic, health experts and medical scientists on Monday urged the local pharmaceutical industry to come forward and help medical colleges, Universities and their affiliated teaching hospitals in establishing medical research departments following instructions from the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC).

They also called for their support to medical varsities in preparation of research modules in the curriculum of medical education in Pakistan.

“For the first time, medical varsities and the PMC are asking the medical colleges to incorporate the research module in their curriculum. In this regard, local and multinational pharmaceutical companies functional in Pakistan can come forward and help medical colleges in establishing research departments,” Principal Liaquat College of Medicine and Dentistry (LCMD), Rashid Nasim Khan said at the inauguration of medical research cell at the medical college on Monday.

The medical research cell at the Liaquat College of Medicine and Dentistry (LCMD) has been supported and funded by the local pharmaceutical firm Pharmevo limited, which is know for the promotion of research at the health education and healthcare institutions in the country.

LCMD Principal Prof Rashid Naseem maintained that thousands of studies are being conducted around the globe in search of evidence-based medicine since the start of Covid-19 pandemic to deal with the viral infection and its complications and added that standard of care at local healthcare institutions could only be improved with local research and solutions to our indigenous health issues.

Hoping that establishment of the research cell at the LCMD would come up with valuable solutions and findings to standard of care of the patients, Prof Naseem hoped that other pharmaceutical firms, both local and multinationals, would come up and support the medical education and healthcare institutions in conducting the biomedical research in Pakistan.

Calling for more such collaborations between academia, healthcare institutions and pharmaceutical industry, Chief Executive Officer of the Pharmevo, Syed Jamshed Ahmed said there is a need to adjust our treatment therapies based on Body Mass Index (BMI), dietary habits and lifestyle of Pakistani people while always looking for new treatment options in the local context.

“It is very heartening to see collaboration between local pharmaceutical industry and medical education institution for the establishment of research centres. We are doing so since creation of our company and are helping medical education and healthcare institutions in conducting biomedical research throughout the country,” he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021