INDIA'S INNOVATION JOURNEY FROM PROMISE TO PROOF

India's pharma ecosystem is ready to embrace stronger science and bolder ideas. Turning early breakthroughs into scalable, sustainable innovation remains the challenge

- By Lakshmipriya Nair

India's pharma industry's global reputation has been built on scale. Affordable generics, dependable vaccines, and world-class manufacturing. That foundation remains strong. But as India aspires to become a $30-35 trillion economy by 2047, the expectations from pharma are changing.

Scale alone will no longer be enough. The next phase must be driven by innovation, value creation and science-led leadership. (Read: https://www.expresspharma.in/innovation-made-in-india/).

While India has many of the ingredients required for innovation, several structural bottlenecks continue to slow progress.

This article, Part II of our series on India's innovation journey, focuses on those bottlenecks. The next part will explore the strategies that could help India move from promise to proof. However, before examining what is holding India back, it is important to recognise how far the ecosystem has already come.

The promise

India's bottom of the innovation pyramid is well built. Startups are emerging. Academic science is strong. Incubators and early grants are more accessible than before.

In a recent report titled, 'The innovation imperative: Indian pharma's road to global leadership by 2047', Suresh Subramanian, National Life Sciences Leader, EY-Parthenon highlights, “Multinational innovators are increasingly outsourcing early research, development, analytics and manufacturing. Indian CRDMOs are moving up the value chain by investing in advanced modalities, digital QA/QC and integrated development pathways. This shift positions India not just as a manufacturing destination but as a strategic partner in complex, science-led innovation, underlining the momentum behind CRDMO/CDMO sector's growth in India.”