Why in the News?
In Union Budget 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Biopharma Shakti Mission with an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore to make India a global hub for biologics and biosimilars.
What is Biopharma Shakti Mission?
A flagship mission to build a complete ecosystem for domestic manufacturing, clinical trials, and regulatory capacity in complex biological drugs.
Key Features
- Financial outlay: Rs 10,000 crore over 5 years
- Focus areas: Biologics and biosimilars for NCDs like diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disorders
- Infrastructure push:
- 3 new NIPERs to be set up
- 7 existing NIPERs to be upgraded
- Clinical trials:
- Network of 1,000 accredited clinical trial sites
- Aims to capture a share of the global clinical trials market
- Regulatory strengthening:
- Capacity enhancement of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation
- Creation of a dedicated scientific review cadre
- Alignment with global drug approval timelines
Significance
- Supports India’s transition from small molecule generics to next generation biologics
- Addresses rising non communicable disease burden
- Improves affordable access to advanced therapies
- Boosts export competitiveness and global trust in Indian pharma
Institutions in Focus
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research
- CDSCO as the national drug regulator aligned to global standards
| [2025] With reference to monoclonal antibodies, consider the following:
1. They are man-made proteins 2. They stimulate the patient’s immune system to fight the specific disease 3. They are produced using animal cells only Which of the statements given above are correct? (a) I and II only (b) II and III only (c) I and III only (d) All the three |
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
