UVAS gets two patents for livestock vaccine

LAHORE:The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore arranged a consultative colloquy and patent award ceremony at City Campus here.

UVAS Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Nasim Ahmad presided over the meeting while Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) CEO Asim Rauf, Secretary Livestock & Dairy Development Department Punjab Muhammad Masoud Anwar, University of Education Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Talat Naseer Pasha, and stakeholders from public and private sectors across the country, including academicians, researchers, professionals and representatives from pharmaceutical industries, and Livestock Department participated in the meeting.

Prof Dr Nasim Ahmad said UVAS got two patents while 10 more patents were in process. Earlier, DRAP Additional Director Dr Syed Zia Husnain gave detailed presentation regarding the organisational structure, vision, mission, organogram, mandate, legislative framework, regulatory prospects, international harmonisation, market size, core values, quality policy, new initiatives for easy of business automation, procedure and conditions of DRAP.

Speaking on the occasion, Asim Rauf appreciated UVAS efforts to deliberate various issues involved in the development of local vaccines. He said it is direly needed that academia, industries stakeholder and DRAP representatives sit together and find out minimum possible standards for working and for this purpose DRAP was always ready for the assistance of stakeholders to achieve goals. Muhammad Masoud Anwar stressed creating awareness among stakeholders about the procedure of registration in simple language along with a timeline for their understanding.

Prof Talat Pasha said that local vaccine production for livestock was a serious issue in our country and UVAS in collaboration with Turkish experts established a training centre for biologics production at Ravi Campus, Pattoki, which will not only be used for the production of vaccine rather for the imparting of practical training to students as human resource. An open discussion was held in which the participants suggested that DRAP may guide stakeholders regarding its registration procedures. Two of the UVAS faculty members/innovators were awarded national patents. The first patent is on ‘a pharmaceutical composition of polymeric biodegradable film for diabetics wound healing’ developed by UVAS Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences scientist Dr Irfan Siddique while the second patent on ‘Process for the preparation of buffalo semen extending medium by using buffalo whole milk’ secured by Prof Dr Amjed Riaz of the Department of Theriogenology.