Government Approves INR 1,600 CR for 41 Pharma and MedTech Projects Under PRIP

The combined R&D investment across the approved projects is estimated at around INR 4,620 CR, according to a government release.

The government has approved financial assistance of around INR 1,600 CR for 41 projects under the first call of the Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP), with the projects expected to attract an additional INR 3,020 CR in private investment.

The combined R&D investment across the approved projects is estimated at around INR 4,620 CR, according to a government release.

The approved portfolio covers the pharma and MedTech innovation pipeline, including novel drug discovery, clinical development and medical technologies.

Of the 41 projects approved so far, 12 are at an early stage, and 29 are at a later stage. Startups and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are undertaking 19 projects, while large companies are leading 22 projects.

By priority area, 27 projects are focused on new medicines, five on complex generics and biosimilars, and nine on novel medical devices.

Companies and innovators included in the approved portfolio are Biocon, Bharat Biotech, Sun Pharma, Wockhardt, Zydus, Mankind Pharma, Pandorum Technologies, Cellogen Therapeutics, Aurigene Oncology and Bugworks Research, among others.

The projects span several technology areas, including an antibacterial targeting multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections, an exosome-based regenerative therapy for corneal disease and an in-vivo CAR-T platform.

Other supported projects include patient-derived breast cancer organoids, a programmable RNA-targeting antiviral technology, portable plasmonic-PCR for point-of-care infection diagnosis and a microfluidic platform for tuberculosis detection.

Under PRIP's strategic priority framework, enhanced support is available for innovations targeting neglected tropical diseases, rare diseases, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) involving India-priority pathogens, pathogens with outbreak or pandemic potential, and vaccines for vaccine-preventable diseases.

Six projects have so far been approved under this framework. These include projects focused on bacterial pneumonia and meningitis, dengue, influenza and next-generation tuberculosis vaccines.

The government said evaluation of the remaining applications under the first round is underway, with additional results expected to be announced over the coming month.

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