KTR opens Huwel Life Sciences, EMPE Diagnostics and BlueSemi units in Medicsl devices park

HYDERABAD: Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao on Tuesday unveiled three world-class medical devices developed by homegrown enterprises: Huwel Life Sciences, EMPE Diagnostics, and BlueSemi.

Telangana, which has been a pioneer in life sciences and is one of the first states in India to recognise medical devices as a high-potential and high-growth sector, also inked MoUs to boost product testing for the Medtech sector.

The Made in Telangana vision takes vibrant form as the Medical Devices Park, setup by the Government of Telangana, has been producing world-class medical products from Telangana for Telangana and the world.

The park, which was inaugurated in 2017, has grown into India's largest functional medical equipment cluster, with manufacturers committing to investing Rs 1,500 crore and creating 7,000 direct jobs. The State Government has now made a significant step forward in extending the 'Make in India' initiative to 'Innovate in India,' by establishing an end-to-end support ecosystem and market for innovative product development, including product testing for medtech enterprises and entrepreneurs.

Highlights of world-class, made in Telangana innovative products by Huwel Life Sciences, EMPE Diagnostics and BlueSemi

Huwel Life Sciences developed Huwel UniAmp is India’s first device approved by the CDSCO with a unique amplification process and sensitivity and specificity on par with RTPCR. They developed Hemomeasure and FerriQuant, which are India’s first Haemoglobin testing devices and Semiquantitative LFA ferritin tests.

EMPE Diagnostics launched the world's first MDR-TB Rifampicin and Isoniazid test kit, along with controls.

Blue Semi, a T-Hub Hyderabad-based enterprise, launched EYVA, the world's first device that can measure six key vitals in 60 seconds, including non-invasive blood glucose (no prick/no pain) with a simple touch.

"I’m delighted to witness yet another milestone in the Medtech sector in Telangana with the launch of world class 'Made in Telangana' devices by our homegrown companies - Huwel Lifesciences, EMPE Diagnostics and Blue Semi. It gives me immense pride in stating that many of these products are first in the world while the rest are first in the country. The launch of these innovative products is a testament to the vibrant Medtech ecosystem in the State, " said KT Rama Rao.

Dr. Shesheer Kumar, Managing Director and Founder, Huwel Life Sciences said that “Huwel’s capabilities of indigenisation and scale up has been demonstrated by being largest supplier of COVID RTPCR kits in the country with all components made in house in Hyderabad, Telangana. Currently manufacturing POCT devices which are path breaking for confirmatory testing of infections at field and haemoglobin testing devices for mass implementation, we are making products for the world from Telangana. We are confident that in the near future Hyderabad can be a medical device hub too, like vaccines for the world.”

Raghavendra Goud, CEO of EMPE Diagnostics said “We are very happy and proud to be having our global manufacturing unit which is an ISO certified plant in Genome valley- a vibrant ecosystem. Our special thanks to the State Government for constant encouragement and support extended to us. We have a current capacity of 25 Million kits and will be expanding to 100 Million kits soon. Our mission is to produce the kits in Telangana and supply them to the world."

Sunil Maddikatla, CEO and Founder, BLUESEMI said "The nurturing atmosphere in Telangana has been pivotal in the advancement and triumph of ground breaking health tech innovations like our EYVA gadget. Empowered with the necessary resources, startups can fearlessly forge ahead, revolutionizing healthcare and technology for a better future."

Telangana Life Sciences Foundation (TLSF) inka MoU with six distinguished organizations with ISO certified

Besides these, several companies and start-ups based in Hyderabad are focused on building next-generation medical device products like 3D-printed bionic arms, imaging systems, digital health solutions, mobile dialysis units and implants. Medical Devices Park offers facilities to support innovation, research and development, manufacturing as well as product testing, warehousing and logistics, and is now catching the attention of global investors also, with many lining up to establish their units in this facility.

Marquee companies such as Medtronic and B. Braun have already made Hyderabad their growth centre and just last month, Medtronic had announced an investment of approximately Rs. 3,000 crore (more than US$ 350 million) to expand the Medtronic Engineering & Innovation Center (MEIC) in Hyderabad.

Further, with the focus on promoting the sector and consolidating the leadership position of Telangana, Government through Telangana Life Sciences Foundation (TLSF) signed MoU with six distinguished organizations with ISO certified facilities, in presence of Minister, to facilitate medical device testing and prototyping services to tenant companies in the Medical Devices Park, Sultanpur, Hyderabad.

This is consequent to the Medtech CEO Roundtable chaired by Minister of Industries and Commerce, K.T Rama Rao during the 20th edition of State’s flagship BioAsia convention held earlier this year in Hyderabad, wherein the CEOs had highlighted the need for immediate ramping up for testing facilities as the industry is coming under mandatory regulatory controls. From syringe to implants to MRI scanners, medical devices encompass a very broad and complex variety of technologies and apart from performance the crucial aspect of devices is safety. In order to comply with all safety requirements, sets of universal standards and norms have been prescribed, making product testing extremely crucial.

Companies such as RCC Laboratories, T-Works, Palamur Biosciences, Vimta Labs, Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. (ECIL) and Vivo Bio Tech Ltd, have collaborated with TLSF to extend their services, including biocompatibility testing, safety evaluation, pre-clinical services, EMI/EMC testing, animal testing, chemical testing, toxicology/risk assessment, environment testing, and nuclear testing, and prototyping at subsidized prices exclusively for companies operating within the Medical Device Park. The State Government would continue to facilitate more collaborations to add to the basket of these testing services including gamma irradiation, rapid prototyping, etc

This collaboration represents a holistic approach by the State Government and a significant step towards fostering growth, scale-up, innovation, and excellence within the state's medical device ecosystem. By leveraging the combined expertise and resources of these six organizations, along with an enabling policy environment, the Government of Telangana is helping companies move up the value chain and build products of relevance not just for India but for the world.

Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, Jayesh Ranjan, CEO, Telangana Life Sciences, Shakthi Nagappan, Managing Director and Founder of Huwel Life Sciences; Shesheer Kumar, CEO of EMPE Diagnostics; Raghavendra Goud, CEO and Founder of Bluesemi; Sunil Maddikatla; and others were present during the occasion.