At the landmark 2nd Pharma Summit & Awards 2026 organized by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), the Government of India announced paradigm-shifting roadmap designed to transition the nation from an affordable small-molecule generic manufacturing powerhouse into a global champion for breakthrough biopharmaceuticals.
Addressing an elite gathering of industry captains, scientists, and policy stakeholders, Smt. Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers, officially unveiled the “Biopharma SHAKTI” initiative. The strategic blueprint explicitly targets the commercial launch of 100 indigenous novel biologics by 2047, intentionally converging with India’s long-term overarching developmental goals of Viksit Bharat (Developed India) and Swasth Bharat (Healthy India).
“The Indian pharmaceutical landscape is on the cusp of an extraordinary evolution,” stated Smt. Anupriya Patel during her keynote address. “By 2031, biologics are confidently projected to command nearly 40% of all global prescription drugs.
To systematically support this ambitious high-tech pivot, the government highlighted a robust matrix of active financing and ecosystem-enabling platforms currently driving cross-sectoraltransformations, The Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma-MedTech Sector initiative, an industry-academia collaborative mission accelerating early-stage vaccine, biosimilar, and biologic candidates toward market readiness.
In targeted operational grants and ecosystem-scaling mechanisms including the Biotech Ignition Grant (BIG), SBIRI, and BIPP which are actively funding breakthrough manufacturing workflows and industrial biotechnology startups.
Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary to the Department of Pharmaceuticals, extended a comprehensive call to action to private enterprise leaders. He emphasized that building definitive global leadership requires the domestic industry to aggressively accelerate proprietary drug discovery, fortify complex clinical research infrastructures, bridge deep talent deficits through specialized skill-building programs, and engineer heavily fortified supply chains capable of absorbing macroeconomic shocks.
The summit concluded with the highly anticipated presentation of the ASSOCHAM Pharma Excellence Awards. Presenting the accolades, Minister Patel recognized the pioneering performance of domestic institutions and enterprises that have achieved exceptional benchmarks in R&D scaling, manufacturing distinction, and healthcare delivery models over the past fiscal year.
Written by: Pragna Biswas
Graphics by: Mainak Sen
