UHS advisory body recommends local production of biosimilars and vaccines

The Research and Development (R&D) Advisory Committee of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) has recommended that the institution take a lead in lobbying for the local production of biosimilars, bioequivalence drugs, and vaccines in collaboration with government bodies.

The committee met on Wednesday under the chair of Prof Dr Kausar Abdullah Malik. UHS Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore, Dr Isaac John, Prof Zohra Khanam, Prof Huma Arshad Cheema, and Prof Nadia Naseem attended the session. Members of the UHS R&D Centre were also present.

Presenting a briefing on the university’s research performance over the past three years, UHS Director of R&D Prof Sidrah Saleem said more than 2,000 research projects had been completed. Vice Chancellor Prof Rathore added that UHS was about to launch a training program for medical editors in collaboration with the Islamic Science Citation Center of Iran.

Prof Dr Kausar Abdullah Malik stressed that quality, not just quantity, should be the hallmark of scientific publications. “UHS should encourage research that gets published in high-impact journals, while also working to bring its own journals up to international standards,” he said. He added that vaccine development was a national priority that needed urgent attention.

Prof Huma Arshad Cheema urged the university to discourage publications in substandard journals and to take a leadership role in forging partnerships with China on vaccine production.

Dr Isaac John suggested the creation of a dedicated fund to support researchers in publishing in top-tier journals.

Highlighting the importance of collaboration, Prof Malik said that bringing researchers and clinicians together on one platform is essential for the development of medical research. "I believe UHS has the potential to bring transformative change in the field of research,”he concluded.