CM invites Pfizer to set up research unit

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has held discussions with representatives of pharma major Pfizer in New York, in which a request for opening a research unit of the company in the state was also put forward.
The company representatives assured that a high-level delegation from the company would visit the state by September as a follow up action of the discussions.
The meeting was held at the Marriott Marquis hotel where the Loka Kerala Sabha regional conference is being held.
The Pfizer team included senior vice-president Raja Mangipudy, Kannan Natarajan and Sandeep Menon. Apart from the CM, chief secretary V P Joy, principal secretary (Norka and industries) Suman Billa, secretary (IT) Rathan U Kelkar, John Brittas MP, staff officer to chief secretary Snehil Kumar Singh and Kerala Startup Mission CEO Anoop Ambika participated in the meeting.
Pfizer representatives sought to know about the contributions the state can provide in pre-clinical research areas. The team also discussed on how to effectively utilise the research wealth of the state in biotechnology, bioinformatics, statistics and applied mathematics.
The state government officials explained the achievements of the state in the health sector, while the Pfizer representatives expressed their desire to associate with the digital sciences park recently inaugurated by the prime minister in the state.