Bridging Collaboration Gaps to Boost India's Pharma Discovery

Dr. Sadhna Joglekar, Senior VP & Head of Global Drug Development India at Novartis, with over 25 years of experience in pharma and biotech, emphasizes that India’s R&D ecosystem must strengthen early-phase trials, foster academia startup pharma collaboration, and ensure sustained funding to fully realize its biotech innovation potential, as highlighted at Scale-Up Health 2025, organized by Eight Roads Ventures.

India’s biotech and pharmaceutical R&D journey began much earlier than many believe, with its foundations laid in the 1990s and early 2000s. Indian companies, inspired by global multinationals such as Pfizer, Merck, and Novartis, invested heavily in infrastructure and talent. However, three critical differences stood out compared to today: the startup ecosystem was almost non-existent, the CDMO space was immature, and innovation was largely adapted from the West.

Clinical Development vs. Discovery

India’s R&D can broadly be split into two tracks: clinical development and discovery. Clinical development, particularly late-phase studies, is relatively mature today. India has built strong capabilities with experienced investigators, trained regulators, and robust CRO support. Yet, the early phase first-in-human and proof-of-concept trials remain a weak spot. On this note, training can be given to the people, but without experiential learning, maturity never develops. There is a need for more Phase 1 centers and mentorship from experienced clinicians.

On the discovery front, the story is different. Startups are emerging in areas like immunology, oncology, dermatology, diabetes, and antimicrobials. But academia remains the weak link. Outside a few pockets like IISc, IITs, and BITS, most universities lack incentives for translational research. Scientists don’t always understand drug development, and clinicians don’t always engage with basic science. That gap means we rarely see spin-offs from universities.

Why Academia Startup Pharma Collaboration Matters

Globally, academia plays a pivotal role in translational research, often leading to startup spin-offs. In India, this connection is largely missing. A scientist is rewarded for publishing papers, not for building a therapy. Notably, C-CAMP and select incubators at IISc and IITs but highlights the lack of scale. For India’s discovery ecosystem to mature, she believes there must be a strong feeder system where academia seeds ideas, startups build prototypes, and pharma scales them.

Pharma companies have evolved from building everything in-house to tapping into CDMOs and external advisors, while regulators have become more supportive through initiatives like DBT and BIRAC funding programs. But compared to countries like China, the scale is still modest.

Also Read: Why Global Pharma Expects CDMOs to Be Ready for Joint Inspections

The Big Idea for India’s Innovation Ecosystem

Looking ahead, one critical enabler is deep funding pools. Without sustained capital, early ideas struggle to survive. Collaboration between the government, private investors, and global venture capital is essential to commit to Indian biotech in a long-term, systematic manner.