Amazing opportunities for start-ups in heatlh care: GV Prasad

Hyderabad: There are "amazing" growth opportunities for start-ups in the health care sector in India in terms of technology and patient-centric solutions, CEO and co-chairperson, Dr Reddy's Laboratories, GV Prasad has said.

"Amazing opportunities (are there), both in terms of science, technology as well as patient-centric solutions, using technology like IT, analytics, lot of start-ups (are) coming up...not from the traditional companies. These are coming from young people who do not have a pre-conceived notion of what health care should be," he said.

He said patients' treatment, hospitals and pharmaceuticals are some of the factors that would drive the growth of start-ups in the health care sector.

"I think treatment, hospitals as well as pharmaceuticals themselves and all the technology-driven things that are happening to personalise health care, those are the things (that would contribute to the growth)," he told on the sidelines of inauguration of a start-up here for integrated cancer care.

Prasad said great progress is likely to be achieved in the next 10-15 years in the field of cancer treatment with the evolution of new treatment methods.

"Lot of new drugs are coming for a range of cancer, which selectively target only the cancer cells. The side- effects are very less and much more effective. It's in early stages. I hope lot of new therapies will come," Prasad said.

"Even Dr Reddy's..we have a subsidiary. It is quite active. In next 10-15 years, we will see amazing progress in cancer treatment," he added.

The major preventable cancer is cervical cancer, but its incidence is high in India due to lack of screening, poor hygiene and sanitary practices, he said.

Early detection would go a long way in effective and easy treatment of cancer, Prasad added.