The Government of India has approved financial assistance of around ₹1,600 crore for 41 pharmaceutical and medical technology projects under the first round of the Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP) initiative.
The projects cover a broad range of innovation areas, including novel drug discovery, clinical development, complex generics, biosimilars and advanced medical devices. The government said the approved projects are expected to catalyse an additional ₹3,020 crore in private investment, taking the cumulative R&D investment associated with these projects to approximately ₹4,620 crore.
41 Projects Approved in First PRIP Round
Of the 41 projects approved so far:
- 12 projects are at an early stage.
- 29 projects are at a later stage.
- 19 projects are being undertaken by startups and MSMEs.
- 22 projects involve large companies.
- 27 projects relate to new medicines.
- 5 projects focus on complex generics and biosimilars.
- 9 projects involve novel medical devices.
The approved portfolio includes projects from several established pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as emerging innovators. Names highlighted by the Department of Pharmaceuticals include Biocon, Bharat Biotech, Sun Pharma, Wockhardt, Zydus, Mankind Pharma, Pandorum Technologies, Cellogen Therapeutics, Aurigene Oncology and Bugworks Research.
The supported innovations cover areas such as an antibacterial approach targeting multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections, an exosome-based regenerative therapy for corneal disease, an in-vivo CAR-T platform, breast cancer organoid technology, programmable RNA-targeting antiviral technology and point-of-care diagnostic platforms. Other projects include technologies for TB detection and next-generation vaccines.
Under the strategic-priority framework, enhanced support is available for innovations addressing neglected tropical diseases, rare diseases, antimicrobial resistance involving India-priority pathogens, pathogens with outbreak or pandemic potential, and vaccines for vaccine-preventable diseases.
According to the Department of Pharmaceuticals, six projects have so far been approved under this framework, including projects related to bacterial pneumonia/meningitis, dengue, influenza and next-generation tuberculosis vaccines.
The first PRIP round is not yet complete. The government stated that evaluation of the remaining applications is underway, with additional results expected to be announced over the coming month.
