Pharma sector gears up for Budget 2025-26; urges for strong regulatory framework and faster approval pathways

Amit Mookim, CEO, Immuneel Therapeutics

“As India continues to advance in healthcare innovation, it is crucial for the government to prioritise funding and policies that make cutting-edge treatments. The recent GST exemption for life-saving gene therapies is a significant step toward enhancing accessibility to advanced treatments. The upcoming budget provides an opportunity to further strengthen India’s position as a global leader in biotech and personalised medicine. We urge the government to implement a strong regulatory framework and faster approval pathways to ensure that transformative therapies, such as cell and gene therapy, are accessible and affordable nationwide, thereby advancing India’s healthcare innovation and global leadership in biotechnology. 

Furthermore, the government should consider initiatives such as increased allocation for R&D and encouraging PPP’s that drive innovations in cancer and rare disease treatments. To make these therapies affordable, the budget should consider subsidies, tax benefits, and inclusion in public health schemes. With such steps, India can truly lead the global healthcare innovation landscape.”

Nikhil Chopra, CEO & Whole Time Director, JB Pharma

“India is now the most populated country in the world and the incidence of NCDs is increasing at an alarming speed in our country. To cater to the growing healthcare needs of fellow Indians, the budgetary allocation needs to be increased to at least about 3 per cent. This increased allocation will also provide an opportunity for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry to further strengthen our global leadership. 

To achieve this, I hope to see a strong focus on building supply chain resilience, especially to promote domestic manufacturing of essential APIs and intermediates, reduce dependence on imports, and boost self-reliance. Dedicated support toward R&D in emerging technologies like AI and data analytics is necessary, which will expedite the advancement in drug discovery and personalised medicine.

The budget should also focus on initiatives that help support the growth of contract manufacturing and research organisations, or CMOs and CROs, which are very important to speed up innovation and production. Further, investments in workforce development, especially that of up-skilling professionals for advancing pharmaceutical and biotech processes would ensure India prepares the talent set to face and overcome future issues. By laying an environment rich in innovation which provides targeted aid, the budget can support the sector to scale levels that would mean long-term benefits accruing to and from the industry.”