In the Union Budget 2026–27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted the shifting health challenges facing India and announced a major initiative to strengthen the country’s biopharmaceutical ecosystem. Central to her announcement was the launch of the “Biopharma Shakti” programme, backed by an allocation of ₹10,000 crore over the next five years to boost domestic capability in advanced drug manufacturing and healthcare innovation.
Sitharaman underscored that India’s disease burden is increasingly dominated by non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer and autoimmune disorders, which require advanced biologic medicines for effective treatment. She said the new programme — BioPharma Strategy for Health Advancement through Knowledge, Technology and Innovation — will help India become a global biopharma manufacturing hub by developing domestic production of biologics and biosimilars.
Under the initiative, the government plans to build a robust biopharma ecosystem that includes:
- A network of 1,000 accredited clinical trial sites across India to expand research and testing capacity.
- Expansion of biopharma education and research infrastructure, including establishing three new National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs) and upgrading existing ones.
- Strengthening regulatory processes by empowering the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation with dedicated scientific review teams to meet global standards and shorten approval timelines.
The Budget also integrated broader healthcare measures, signalling a shift toward strategic investment in health innovation and manufacturing rather than solely increasing traditional spending allocations. Observers note this approach reflects a long-term vision to not only improve accessibility to advanced medical treatments but also to position India as a competitive player in global biopharmaceutical markets.
