Tech Mahindra expects to start trials for a Covid drug in the next three to four months after receiving the patent for a particular molecule, according to a senior official.
Markers Lab, the research and development arm of the IT company, is working on developing the drug.
The company along with Reagene Biosciences has filed for a patent for a molecule that can be used to develop a drug against coronavirus.
“We expect the trial to start in about three to four months. The patent is still under process,” Tech Mahindra Global Head (Makers Lab) Nikhil Malhotra told PTI.
When asked about the timeline for the development of the drug, Malhotra said “one-and-a-half years is a safe time to assume but again it depends on the trials”.
Makers Lab started the computational modelling analysis of the coronavirus. Based on computational docking and modelling studies, Makers Lab and its partner decided to develop a single molecule from a list of 8,000 USFDA-approved molecules.
Many COVID drugs are under different stages of development in various parts of the world, including India.
Besides biotechnology, Tech Mahindra is engaging with startups to help them innovate and create patents.
Tech Mahindra Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) C P Gurnani said the company is investing in various segments to encourage innovation as they are part of providing solutions.
“We don’t go and create an appliance out of patents that we are creating. It is creating used cases like we did when we did a COVID drug. It is a use case. I hope the influenced revenue through our patents and innovation is more than a billion dollars but we are not tracking the direct impact but influence revenue over a period of time could be as high as a billion dollars,” Gurnani said- With PTI Inputs
