New Delhi, Oct. 1 -- Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has urged the country's life sciences industry to make patient-centric innovation its central mission, as the inaugural Bharat Life Sciences Award (BLSA), organised by FICCI and powered by Eli Lilly and Company (India), named its first winners at Vigyan Bhawan on Thursday.

"True success is not just inventing in the lab, but taking discoveries from bench to bedside, ensuring high-quality care is accessible, timely and affordable for the last person in the queue," Nadda said in a video address.

Citing Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY's Rs.5 lakh annual cover, now extended to every citizen aged 70 and above, he said India's bioeconomy, pharmaceutical manufacturing and vaccine leadership had sho...