My Vision: Jatin Mahajan
J. Mitra & Co. Pvt. Ltd. entered into the IVD segment in 1969 when the market for IVD products was at a very nascent stage. We felt that the customers had issues with the quality of kits available in the market. There were problems of consistency and batch-to-batch variations. We identified this pain point of our customers and ensured that the products which we manufactured are of the highest quality standards. At that point in time, the immunology segment in the rapid test format was limited to pregnancy tests, we were the first company in India to introduce and start manufacturing rapid pregnancy test cards and develop tests for other infectious diseases like HIV, HBV, and HCV later.
Our research and development center is recognized by DSIR, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India since 1987. It is here that we work and develop cutting edge technologies. J. Mitra has more than 50 patents in its portfolio and is still working to get more. We have a team of 30 dedicated researchers comprising post-graduates and doctorates who work hard tirelessly to bring in new innovative products and improve the quality of existing products on a continuous basis.
Manufacturing capabilities in Indian IVD manufacturers differ vastly, as many manufacturers merely perform assembling or pseudo labeling of kits, on the other hand we at J. Mitra being fully conscious of our responsibility have adopted best industry practices. Our large-scale automation not only improves the quality of kits but also meets the bulk requirements of the customers. We are an ISO 9001:2008, ISO 13845:2012, and WHO-GMP certified company.
In the recent decade, there has been a rapid rise in vector-borne infectious diseases like dengue, malaria, chikungunya etc. apart from increased proliferation of lifestyle ailments like diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, hormone disorders, and heart diseases. Screening of notified diseases like HIV, HCV, and Hepatitis B has also increased in last couple of decades. This along with the increased awareness amongst the people, affordability by urban middle align, and reimbursements by insurance companies has driven IVD markets to rise rapidly. As per a research from a private consultancy firms, IVD market in India is growing at CAGR of 15 percent.
Technology is changing the landscapes of almost all industries. Miniaturization in immunology diagnostic instruments that can not only be used in the state-of-the-art laboratories but also in low-resource setting laboratories is the need of the hour. Such an instrument should have a platform to measure multiple types of parameters and should replace the need of multiple machines. As part of the Make in India initiative launched by the Indian government, we have focused and worked on such technologies. I-Quant is one such instrument developed by us in partnership with Healthcare Technology Innovation Center, IIT Madras. The instrument can perform tests for a variety of analytes like HbA1c, vitamin D, hormones, and infectious disease tests like dengue antigen on a single platform, which otherwise require multiple types of machines. The instrument is designed to cater to the unmet needs of the diagnostic markets.
In our view a right blend of products, pro-industry policy initiatives, supportive ecosystem, leverage on latent talent pool, and prudent investment strategies can position India on the global map as an IVD manufacturing hub.
