ISLAMABAD: The chief justice of Pakistan’s decision to hear a human rights case regarding the commercialisation of research breakthroughs has revived hopes among researchers that the process may be expedited.

Government departments and universities spend around Rs100 billion a year on research, but their breakthroughs are never commercialised, leading the public to spend 10 to 20 times more on various products.

According to a document from the Supreme Court deputy registrar, available with Dawn, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar will hear a human rights case regarding the mechanism to commercialise research breakthroughs on Jan 6.

The court has directed five people – University of Health Sciences Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Akram, Punjab University Vice Chancellor Dr Niaz Ahmed, former Centre for Excellence in Molecular Biology director Dr Sheikh Riazuddin, head of the Pakistan Association of Plastic Surgeons Dr Moazzam Tarar and Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) CEO Sheikh Akhtar Hussain - to submit their responses in the case before the hearing.

SC to take up case regarding commercialisation of research breakthroughs

Universities and the Pakistan Health Research Council, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Pakistan Science Foundation spend around Rs100bn on research every year, UHS Vice Chancellor Dr Akram told Dawn.

There are also a number of breakthroughs, but the public does not benefit from them because of pressure from international companies, he said.

“When I was vice chancellor at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University, a research study was started to make artificial skin since according to a study, according to the population ratio the highest number of burn injury cases take place in Pakistan.

“After becoming UHS vice chancellor, I shifted the research to UHS and finally manufactured artificial skin in its laboratory last year. We contacted Drap to issue a licence for commercial manufacturing, but it was not issued,” he said.

With the licence, they could manufacture artificial skin and reduce mortality from 70pc to 40pc, because the skin would be used to protect patients from infections. Dr Akram said skin costs $700 per square inch in the international market, but in Pakistan it could be sold for just Rs710.

“We have named the skin Pakderm,” he added.

Dr Akram said that whenever such breakthroughs occur, companies and even foreign envoys begin pressuring government organisations and politicians not to register the products, because once registered not only would imports cease but Pakistan would also begin exporting those products.

A similar case occurred when Dr Akram was the principal of Allama Iqbal Medical College, he said, when they manufactured an injection to replace an imported injection for hepatitis C.

“At the time, the imported injection was being sold for Rs14,000, but we said the local injection would be sold for just Rs300. However, that injection was not registered and in the end around 300,000 prepared doses were wasted because the medicine expired.”

“If departments don’t allow government research departments to shift the benefit of research breakthroughs to the people, why are Rs100bn wasted every year,” Dr Akram asked.

But, he said, because the chief justice has taken up this case “we believe things will finally be streamlined”.

“Regulators should ensure the quality of products and register research breakthroughs because it will facilitate the people of Pakistan,” he said, adding that scientists are left at the mercy of “mafias” that can afford to halt the registration of products and hire prominent lawyers to delay registration by filing court cases.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2019