Govt promises funds for pharmaceutical research

Islamabad : The government will provide sufficient funds to both private and government sectors to promote pharmaceutical research in the country.

This was stated by Federal Minister for Science and Technology Azam Khan Swati while addressing a two-day international conference on 'Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery' organised by Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) in collaboration with Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), COMSTECH Islamabad, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, University of Punjab, Lahore and Woman University, Swabi.

The minister urged Pakistani scientists to develop mutual research projects with local industry and use the expertise of their foreigner partners to stimulate R&D in Pakistan.

“Pakistan’s contribution to research and development is one of the prime goal of the government, which has allocated Rs52.997 billion in budget 2018-19, which is more 53% than the previous year,” he said.

Earlier the chief organiser of the conference Prof. Dr. Bushra Mirza, from QAU welcomed all the distinguished guests from UK, OIC countries, Germany and Pakistan.

Sir John Holman, former president of Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), United Kingdom, Prof. Dr. Gul Majid Khan, Chairman Department of Pharmacy, QAU, Adviser of the COMSTECH Dr Khurshid Hasnain, Vice Chancellors of the AWKU Mardan Prof. Dr. Khurshid Khan and Vice Chancellor of Woman University Swabi Prof. Dr. Khanzadi Fatima also addressed the conference.