OPPI felicitates innovative start-ups in the healthcare industry

New Delhi: The Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI) has announced the winner of Excellence in Innovation Healthcare Start-up of the Year 2021 Award.

This year, Briota Technologies Private Limited, a digital health and wellness company, innovating for remote care, diagnostics and management of chronic respiratory conditions, has been conferred the award for developing a novel concept of AI powered SpiroPRO^TM Device for screening and diagnosis of chronic respiratory ailments.

The award recognizes the entrepreneurial spirit of organizations that provided value-based solutions and continued to impact patient outcomes.

Announced in September 2021, the assessment process of the award was concluded in December 2021.

Commenting on the introduction of the award, Mr S Sridhar, President OPPI and MD Pfizer Ltd said, “This award will enhance commitment towards advancing the country’s agenda on equitable access to healthcare through innovative and quality solutions, on the bedrock of a strong IP ecosystem. Furthermore, it will also recognize the innovative mindset and digital, social focus to increase the healthcare outreach programs and amplify the access to healthcare products, services, and life-saving medicines. Spurring innovation and R&D will usher the next leg of growth in the pharmaceutical sector.”

The participating start-ups, went through a rigorous evaluation process, with an independent and external validator and jury panel, that included 2 rounds, viz. The Validator Pitch and The Elevator Pitch.

Prof. Sarang Deo, Professor and Area Lead, Operations Management and Executive Director – Max Institute of Healthcare Management (MIHM), Indian School of Business, validated and shortlisted submissions that entered the elevator pitch round, to be evaluated by an eminent jury panel comprising of Anand Anandkumar, Co-founder, and CEO, Bugworks; Rajaram Narayanan, Managing Director, Sanofi India; Rameesh Kailasam, President and CEO, Indiatech.org; Meena Ganesh, Co-Founder, Chairperson, and MD, Portea Medical; and Karthikeyan Ponnalagu, Technical Director, Bosch AI Initiatives for Software Engineering in India.

Commenting on their win, Mr. Shardul Joshi, Co-Founder, Briota Technologies Pvt Ltd, said, “We are delighted to be awarded the Excellence in Innovation Healthcare Start-up of the Year 2021 Award by OPPI. At Briota, we follow an AI-first approach aimed at simplifying the diagnostics and lifestyle management of Chronic Respiratory Ailments in a post-COVID world. Our current focus is addressing a huge unmet need of early detection of asthma & COPD in children & frequent monitoring of elderly patients in rural setting of our country.

Our AI powered SpiroPRO^TM is a user friendly and connected device that our frontline workers such as ASHA or homecare nurses can use remotely as point of care screening tool. Briota’s approach of holistic solution also makes it possible for physicians to cater to a huge volume of patients remotely thereby reducing burden on our healthcare system and state economy as well as assisting patients to gain total symptom control. Through such innovations we hope to continue to offer a range of cutting-edge tech solutions tailored to both patients and doctors and simplify the treatment and monitoring of various chronic conditions and make them accessible and affordable to all.”

As a part of the award, the winner will receive a yearlong mentorship from Bayer Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd in addition to a grant-in-aid of Rs.1,00,000 and a certificate of citation.

Commenting on the mentorship program, Mr Manoj Saxena, Managing Director, Country Division Head – South Asia, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd said, “Congratulations to the winning team. At Bayer, innovation is part of our DNA and we are constantly searching for new technologies and creative approaches to develop more effective solutions in the fields of health and nutrition. We believe that sustaining this spirit of innovation has now become more than crucial ever. Encouraging early-stage start-ups through such mentorship programs will provide greater strategic direction and commercial insights through a structured setup. Furthermore, the program will also offer an opportunity for the mentee to understand the nuances of the business and its applications through extensive interactive sessions, thus nurturing this innovative set-up.”

The award will be conferred at the upcoming Annual Summit of OPPI on 23^rd March 2022, which will be attended by Honorable Ministers from the Government of India and global dignitaries.