The Union Budget 2026–27, given by the Hon’ble Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament today, has highlighted numerous major efforts to improve India’s pharmaceutical and biopharma sector. The Finance Minister highlighted that the Government has implemented substantial economic reforms towards creating employment, enhancing productivity and speeding growth. To significantly accelerate and maintain economic growth, the Minister emphasized increasing manufacturing in seven strategic and frontier industries, including pharmaceuticals.
The Finance Minister launched “Biopharma SHAKTI (Strategy for Healthcare Advancement through Knowledge, Technology & Innovation)” with a total investment of ₹10,000 crore over the next five years, highlighting the significance of biologic drugs at reasonable costs to lifespan and quality of life. By creating a robust and independent environment for the domestic manufacture of biologics and biosimilars, the program aims to establish India as a global center for biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
This effort would stimulate investments in advanced biomanufacturing infrastructure, boost innovation and enhance India’s capabilities in high-value, next-generation treatments, therefore lowering import dependence and strengthening healthcare security.
The Finance Minister said that a network of more than 1,000 approved clinical trial facilities would be established nationwide under Biopharma SHAKTI in order to further solidify India’s standing as a top location for clinical research. This extensive growth will Boost the caliber and legitimacy of clinical research in India. It will shorten the time it takes to create new drugs and improve access to cutting-edge therapies for Indian patients . Alongside it will
Create substantial opportunity for scientists, healthcare providers, and related fields.
The Finance Minister also declared that a specialized scientific review cadre and experts would be added to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization to help it meet international standards and approval deadlines.
NIPERs (Pharmaceutical Education and Research), as well as the modernization of the current seven NIPERs. This measure will boost India’s potential for advanced pharmaceutical education, high-end research and innovation. The development of a highly qualified workforce, industry-academia collaboration, and the rise of a globally competitive pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical sector will all be aided by the modernization and extension of these prestigious institutions.
Together, these actions represent a major step toward developing a strong, innovative, and internationally competitive pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry in India.
