THE NEXT FRONTIER

Healthcare in India is at a turning point. Having earned a reputation as the pharmacy of the world, India now steps into a new era that will focus on self-reliance, making quality treatment affordable with biosimilars, and revolutionising the outlook for rare genetic disorders through gene therapy

- SONALI ACHARJEE

THE DNA MIRACLE 

GENE THERAPY HOLDS SIGNIFICANT PROMISE FOR THE FUTURE AS IT FOCUSES NOT JUST ON TREATING SYMPTOMS BUT ON MODIFYING DEFECTIVE GENES TO CURE RARE DISEASES

Nothing can better illuminate the future of healthcare than gene therapy. Imagine not just treating, say, cancer, but altering the very gene that causes it. Gene therapy is the next generation of treatments, a new horizon where rare disorders can be eliminated at the root. The potential is immense. For patients with chronic illness, gene therapy would mean living without the burden of daily disease or continual treatment. For those with terminal disorders, it could mean another chance at life. Gene therapy is the future, and India, well aware of this, is taking steps to be a key part of that changing healthcare universe. In 2019, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recognised the potential for gene therapy and published its first set of clinical guidelines that focus on a range of issues, from ethical clinical trials to regulation and production. According to market research firm Allied Market Research, the global gene therapy market, which was valued at $6 billion (Rs 49,945 crore) in 2020, is projected to reach a whopping $46.5 billion (Rs 3.9 lakh crore) by 2030, registering a compound annual growth rate of 22.8 per cent.

WHY IT IS A GAME CHANGER