Our Central Mission Must Be Patient-Centric Innovation: JP Nadda

Nadda said India's progress in pharmaceuticals, vaccines and the broader bioeconomy demonstrated the potential of aligning scientific capabilities with public health priorities.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda has called on India's life sciences industry to make patient-centric innovation its central mission, emphasising the need to translate scientific discoveries into accessible and affordable healthcare.

He has urged stakeholders to strengthen collaboration, advance drug development and ensure innovations reach patients.

"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.

Nadda said India's progress in pharmaceuticals, vaccines and the broader bioeconomy demonstrated the potential of aligning scientific capabilities with public health priorities.

He identified initiatives such as Biopharma Shakti as part of the effort to strengthen the sector.

Prof Gobardhan Das, Member of NITI Aayog, highlighted the need for a stronger pipeline of new vaccines and medicines, noting that much laboratory research fails to progress to commercial production.

He emphasised academia-industry collaboration and encouraged the use of AI to advance research and development.

Manoj Joshi, Secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, pointed to the growth of biologics manufacturing facilities in recent years, including those serving global contract manufacturing requirements. However, he identified dependence on imported inputs, including media, resins, cell lines and enzymes, as a significant challenge.

Joshi said Biopharma Shakti would support companies across the value chain, including manufacturing capacity, regulatory approvals in overseas markets and access to critical inputs.

Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Drugs Controller General of India, outlined three priorities for the industry: innovation, collaboration and early engagement with regulators. Citing heat-stable, nasal and mRNA vaccines developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said India must transition from being a manufacturing hub to an innovation hub. "Regulatory strategy should be part of your core development strategy," he said.

Pankaj Patel, Past President of FICCI and Chairman of Zydus Lifesciences, called for predictable regulatory timelines, faster approval pathways for breakthrough therapies and government procurement of domestically developed innovations.

"Our collective responsibility is to ensure that progress in life sciences translates into better health, better access and better outcomes for our citizens," Nadda said.

India's pharmaceutical industry has established a strong position in generic medicine production and vaccine manufacturing. The next challenge is to build greater capacity for discovering and developing new therapies.

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