The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the critical need for industry, academia, governments, regulators, and other stakeholders in the ecosystem to intensify their collaboration for ensuring healthcare innovation at scale and delivery with equitable access. In this context, the 20th edition of BioAsia - the marquee healthcare and Life Sciences event, organized by the Government of Telangana, will feature prominent government dignitaries, industry leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs, and other delegates, and explore the theme of Advancing for ONE: Shaping the next generation of humanized healthcare. The event is scheduled to be held between February 24 and 26, 2023 at the Hyderabad International Convention Center (HICC) in Hyderabad. Ernst and Young will be the knowledge partner of the event. 

Moving back to a in-person format, Asia’s largest life-sciences and healthcare forum BioAsia 2023, will witness the participation of some of the most renowned and influential global leaders including:

• Dr. Vas (Vasanth) Narasimhan, CEO, Novartis, Switzerland (Admired global leader with extensive work on a range of public health issues including development of over 20 novel medicines, advance cell and gene therapies and vaccines. He is also a member of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine and a member of the board of fellows of Harvard Medical School. In 2015, Fortune listed him 7th in their '40 under 40' list.)

• Prof. Robert Langer, Prof. at MIT And Co-Founder, Moderna, Inc., USA (A scientist, entrepreneur, professor at MIT and co-founder Moderna Therapeutics with 37 honorary doctorates. He has been awarded the US National Medal of Science, US National Medal of Technology and Innovation, Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.  Max Planck Research Award, among others. He has also been named as one of the 25 most important individuals in biotechnology in the world by Forbes and by Time Magazine and CNN as one of the 100 most important people in US.)

• Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO, CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), UK (Previously the acting Director of U.S Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a consultant to the WHO on a variety of topics related to biodefense and emergency medical preparedness and also served as Director for Medical Preparedness Policy on the White House National Security Staff and was conferred the United States secretary of health and human services award)

• Dr. Rahul Singhvi, CEO, Resilience, USA  (A global leader in the Life Sciences industry was formerly the  Chief Operating Officer at Takeda’s Vaccine Business Unit and the President and CEO of Novavax. He was also an Operating Partner at Flagship Pioneering, a Boston-based life-sciences innovation firm with over 100 portfolio biotech companies including Moderna)

• Dr. Mark Abdoo, Associate Commissioner for Global Policy and Strategy, US-FDA (providing executive oversight, strategic leadership and policy direction to FDA’s global policy, operations, trade, and diplomacy activities)

• Dr. Gregory Moore, Vice President of Corporate Planning at Microsoft, USA (leads Microsoft's Health efforts globally and is responsible for product strategy, product development, and research including AI and machine learning technology for healthcare and life sciences.)

• Prof. Sarfaraz K. Niazi, Adj. Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago, USA (Adviser to 6 heads of State including President Barack Obama, Pioneer in Biosimilars, Established first US biosimilars company and holds 200+patents, an inductee in entrepreneur hall of fame and has raised over $500 Mn)

• Dr. Samit Hirawat, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for the Global Drug Development division, Bristol-Myers Squibb, USA; 
• Dr. Sarah Mcmullen, Country Director - India, FDA
• Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, World Health OrgaOrganization
• Dr. Shyam Bishen, Executive Director for Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum, Switzerland
• Mr. Agam Upadhyay, SVP, Chief Technology Officer, GSK, USA
• Mr. Pavan Kumar Mocherla, MD India And South Asia, BD, Singapore 

There will also be a number of distinguished speakers from the Indian industry at the event including Dr. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals (India); Mr. Satish Reddy, Chairman, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories; Dr. Gagandeep Kang, Virologist, and Professor, Dept. of Gastrointestinal Sciences, CMC Vellore, Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Science & Technology, Mr. Glenn Saldanha, Chairman and Managing Director, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Sanjiv Navangul, MD & CEO, Bharat Serums and Vaccines Ltd, Dr. Rehan Khan, MD, MSD India, Mr. Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator, Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMED), Dr. Prem Pavoor, Senior Partner, Head of India & Healthcare Investments, Eight Roads Ventures, etc. These speakers will highlight the growing role of India in the global life sciences market and also deliberate on the opportunities/challenges for India as the companies look to scale further heights. 

Commenting on the presence of the Lifesciences industry at BioAsia 2023, Mr. K.T. Rama Rao, Hon’ble Minister of IT E&C, MA&UD and Industries & Commerce Departments, Government of Telangana said, “Telangana has been playing a significant role in strengthening the positioning of the country in the worldwide life sciences industry. Several key global players have been leveraging the ecosystem provided by the state by setting up their operations in the state. BioAsia has created a legacy by providing a platform for global leaders to deliberate on healthcare's key requirements over the last 20 years. I am confident that the world will continue to hear and learn from the brilliant minds at the conference.”

“BioAsia has played an instrumental role in the development of the Healthcare Industry around the world. Over the last 20 years, BioAsia has hosted over 20,000 B2B, B2R, and R2R meetings that led to strategic business deals, making Telangana the life sciences capital of the world. 250+ Lols, Bilateral Cooperation agreements, and MoUs were signed and 30+ knowledge papers and policy recommendations were also implemented. This 20th edition is likely to contribute to a significant amount of collaboration among all the key stakeholders for the development of the healthcare industry," said Mr. Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary, Industries & Commerce Dept., Government of Telangana.

“With a prominent speaker line-up from the healthcare industry, we are confident that this edition will help in bridging the gaps in the healthcare industry. Over the years, BioAsia has emerged as one of the key contributors to the development of the life sciences industry. The conference will deliberate on some of the most relevant aspects of the life sciences/healthcare industry including the potential strategies for operationalizing the one health approach, building more resilient supply chains in light of the current geopolitical trends, opportunities for the Indian Medtech industry, and the issues plaguing the growth, role of technologies like AI, ML metaverse in healthcare, regulatory and government support required to accelerate growth and make innovative therapies available to patients at affordable cost, adopting ESG as a culture, among others,” said  Mr. Shakthi Nagappan, Director of Life Sciences, Govt. of Telangana and CEO of BioAsia.

The theme of this edition is “Advancing for ONE: Shaping the next generation of humanized healthcare”. Over the course of the three days, prominent industry leaders, distinguished scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs will come together to discuss humanizing healthcare and will hold constructive discussions on how cross-sectional ecosystems can be integrated, how disruptive technologies can be best utilized, and how we can drive quality healthcare with accessibility and affordability at the forefront in the near future.

"The cross sectoral collaborations will bring major think tanks together at BioAsia2023 in inducing critical deliberations from the Lifesciences industry to ensure a more inclusive approach. The pandemic has made us learn an important aspect that a collective effort can assist in coping up with a larger issue rather than tackling it in silos. BioAsia 2023's theme “Advancing for one” would further augment this collaborative effort and help the industry to be better equipped for any future challenges. We at EY are delighted to be facilitating this vision as BioAsia2023’s knowledge partners." commented Mr. Suresh Subramanian, Partner, National Life Sciences Leader at EY India.