Archive · 14 Dec 2025
India's Biopharma Sector Needs Government Risk-Sharing for Growth
India's biopharma sector has grown a lot in the last ten years, but private companies aren't investing enough in research.
Rajesh Jain, a leader in the field, says the government needs to help share the risk so companies can invest more.
Right now, vaccines are a big part of the sector, but other areas like biologics and gene therapies are also important.
The weak rupee might help because India exports a lot of vaccines.
There are many new biotech startups, but they often struggle to get enough money to grow.
Finally, artificial intelligence is starting to be used in making medicines, but it's still new and not perfect yet.
India's bioeconomy has grown 16-fold in a decade, with biopharma accounting for over 35% of the total.
Private investment in biopharma R&D lags behind government funding, requiring government risk-sharing to scale.
Vaccines remain a dominant segment due to essential nature and high export rates (90% of production).
A weaker rupee is broadly positive for the biotech sector as exports exceed imports.
Biotech startups have surged, but many face funding challenges at advanced stages of development.
- Who
- Rajesh Jain, Chairman of CII National Committee on Biotechnology and Panacea Biotec
- What
- Discussion on the need for government risk-sharing to boost private investment in biopharma R&D in India
- When
- Current trends and future projections discussed
- Where
- India's biopharma sector
- Why
- To address the lag in private-sector investment and the need for sustained innovation and infrastructure development
- India's Bioeconomy Growth
- Expanded 16-fold in a decade, from $10 billion to $165 billion in 2024, projected to exceed $300 billion by 2030
- Biopharma's Share
- Over 35% of India's total bioeconomy
- Private Investment in R&D
- Lags behind government funding, needs government risk-sharing for scaling
- Vaccine Segment
- Growing fast due to essential nature and high export rates (90% of production)
- Impact of Weaker Rupee
- Broadly positive for biotech sector as exports exceed imports
- Biotech Startups
- Over 10,000 startups, but many face funding challenges at advanced stages
- AI in Biopharma
- Early adoption, used in manufacturing and product development, but not yet fully reliable