On 2 October 2021, a letter of intent on cooperation in biotechnology was signed between the Governments of India (Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology) and Colombia (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation).

The meeting, which was attended by Marta Lucía Ramírez de Rincon, Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Colombia, and External Affairs Minister for India, Dr S Jaishankar, included discussion of cooperation on vaccines, biosimilars and medical devices.

The collaboration could help the Indian biotechnology industry achieve its aims of reaching a US$150 billion bioeconomy by 2025, according to Renu Swarup, head of the Department of Biotechnology in India, while Vice President of Colombia Marta Lucía Ramírez de Rincon declared the health and biotechnology sectors ‘important priority areas of common interest’.

Colombia’s Minister of Health and Social Protection, Fernando Ruiz Gomez, noted India’s reputation as a worldwide vaccine manufacturing centre while the country’s Vice Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Sergio Cristancho, said Colombia hoped to ‘replicate Indian models of knowledge generation’ and was looking forward to creating long-term collaborations with the country.

In 2020, Colombia approved its first producto bioterapéutico similar (similar biotherapeutic product) for adalimumab, in the form of Amgevita (ABP 501, Amgen) [1].

The potential collaboration follows news of a partnership between health authorities in the EU and Brazil, allowing the two authorities to exchange sensitive information about medicines [2].

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References
1. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. Amgevita approved in Colombia [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2021 Oct 15]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/biosimilars/news/Amgevita-approved-in-Colombia
2. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. EU and Brazil health authorities enter partnership [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2021 Oct 15]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/policies-legislation/EU-and-Brazil-health-authorities-enter-partnership

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