Tenzin Wangchuk

Bhutan Pharmaceuticals Private Limited

The company has recently been established to serve two purposes. One is to produce and sell generic drugs to the Indian market. A facility is being built in the south of Bhutan on the Indian border for this purpose. The second activity is to explore the rich biodiversity of Bhutan for fungi that can be screened for novel metabolites of use to man. A small facility has been started in Upper Motithang (part of the capital, Thimphu). Surveys are made in different parts of the country (from 200 metres above sea level to over 4000 metres) in collaboration with officers from government research agencies. A collection of fungi has been made and is being put into -80C freezers. Partnerships with western industry are being sought to help us screen this biodiversity.