New Delhi, July 15 (IANS). The number of pharmaceutical patent families developed in India has increased more than four times in the last decade. Also, the country’s drug discovery pipeline has grown to more than 1,095 across 195 companies. This information was given in a report released on Wednesday.
This shows that India is rapidly moving from a production-based model of generic medicines to an innovation-based research model.
The joint report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and HealthCois said India stands at a critical juncture where the next five years will decide whether it can transform its scientific talent, cost competitiveness and data power into a globally competitive life sciences innovation ecosystem.
The report said the number of pharma patent families developed in India is expected to increase from about 716 in 2015 to 2,995 in 2024, an increase of more than four times. At the same time, private equity and venture capital investment in the pharmaceutical sector more than doubled to reach $731 million in fiscal year 2026.
According to the report, the number of biotech startups in the country increased from about 1,500 to 2,400 during the same period. India’s share in global pharma patents has increased from 3-4 per cent to about 10 per cent, reflecting significant progress not only in number but also in quality.
The report further stated that India has developed more than 10 new drug assets in the last decade. Indian companies are no longer limited to just generic and biosimilar drugs, but are increasingly moving towards developing, licensing and commercializing innovative medicines for global markets.
The report has given four main reasons behind this rise. These include nearly $5 billion of government funding for early and translational research, stronger collaboration between academia and industry, reduction in drug development timelines from 180-270 days to 60-120 days due to regulatory reforms, and shared research and manufacturing infrastructure like Genome Valley and C-Camp.
Initial successes are also mentioned in the report. These include BIRSA 101, India’s first indigenous CRISPR-based therapy, and NEXCAR 19, an indigenous CAR-T therapy. The price of NEXCAR 19 is about one-tenth that of similar treatments available abroad.
Priyanka Agarwal, Managing Director and Senior Partner, BCG India and South-East Asia, said, “India’s innovation journey has now gained real momentum and is accelerating its evolution as a sustainable innovation engine.”
Charles Janssen, co-founder and managing partner of Healthchoice, said, “We are seeing scientific research developed in India being licensed by global pharma companies and indigenous CAR-T therapies treating patients at a fraction of the global cost. There is a need for investment that understands the science and follows it through the early uncertain years. This is what will make the difference between a select few successes and a strong, sustainable innovation engine.”
–IANS
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