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Indian pharma pivots toward specialty therapeutics and AI-powered drug discovery to reduce timelines & costs
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Nandita Vijayasimha, Bengaluru
February 14 , 2026
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The Indian pharmaceutical industry is now increasingly demonstrating genuine strengths to offset structural barriers that continue to impede innovation on the global stage. Its innovation pathway focuses on high-value niche positioning rather than competing directly with global pharma giants. Strategic priorities include biosimilars, precision medicine, rare diseases, and orphan drugs segments where recently the government is seen to expediting of gene therapy and cellular therapy approvals which signal policy commitment.
This, according to Sachin Marihal, VP-BD/strategy, SasPinjara, indicates that India continues to facilitate innovation on the global stage as it stands at a transformative juncture, transitioning from its role as the Pharmacy of the World for generic medicines towards high-value drug discovery and development.
Globally, leading pharmaceutical companies are driving innovation in novel drug launches and medical devices that represent a diverse portfolio spanning oncology, rare diseases, precision medicine, and therapeutic biologics. Their innovation landscape achieved 50-74 novel drug approvals in 2024-2025, with antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), bispecific antibodies, and gene therapies dominating, he added.
Now SaSPinjara Life Sciences in partnership with Pharmacodial Global, with a global presence, majorly in China, offers end-to-end technical and business consultation solutions, said Marihal.
Here, Dr Sheryl Ding, CEO, Pharmacodia Global, Beijing, China noted that the next-generation ADCs lead therapeutic breakthroughs, with the global market expanding from $6.48 billion in 2024 to projected $15.99 billion by 2030. Innovation focuses on precision oncology, rare diseases, and orphan drugs, though R&D productivity challenges persist despite rising investment. Top contributors include Merck, Roche, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Eli Lilly, collectively accounting for the majority of high-impact approvals.
China too has emerged as a global innovation powerhouse, approving 83 novel drugs in 2024 which is a 59% increase over previous years. Chinese companies dominated ADC licensing deals worth $30 billion, with license-out transactions representing half of all deals, she added.
From an India standpoint, the country targets the Rs. 17,000 crore pharma R&D investment by FY28 through the PRIP (Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech) scheme. While registering 18,000 clinical trials in 2024, India's innovation remains focused on biosimilars and incremental advances rather than novel chemical entities. The Economic Survey 2024-25 emphasizes the need to bridge the R&D spending gap with global leaders and transition toward disruptive innovation in biologics and gene therapies, said Marihal.
The immediate imperatives for Indian pharma should be to focus on capacity building in advanced therapeutics like CAR-T, CRISPR, ASO (Antisense Oligonucleotides). There is need for stronger IP protections and innovation-rewarding pricing mechanisms. This along with patient-capital ecosystems absorbing long-cycle biotech risks will help India to maximise its cost advantages, he said.
Currently, India remains secondary to China with 83 novel drug approvals in 2024 vs. India's minimal NCE approvals, lacking top-10 global innovators. However, clinical trial dominance and biosimilar leadership provide viable competitive advantages. The next 3-5 years determine whether India transitions from cost-effective R&D partner to innovation contributor. The foundation exists and scaling requires decisive, sustained strategic action, said Marihal.
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