CSIR Working on Making 56 Bulk Drugs in India as Modi Govt Wants to Cut Imports from China

New Delhi: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has started working with the coal and petroleum industries to generate chemicals that form the main therapeutic components in various medicines, in a bid to permanently address India’s dependence on China for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

The Department of Pharmaceuticals has drawn up a list of 56 APIs to prioritise them for the Make-in-India initiative. These include APIs or bulk drugs that go into the making of essential drugs, such as antibiotics, anti-HIV medicines, and the humble but indispensable paracetamol.

In February, the Government of India also announced a plan for a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the industry to manufacture these products. However, currently, the focus is on APIs that can be generated through fermentation processes rather than chemical processes in a laboratory.

That is why the spotlight is on the petroleum and coal industries. Both deal with carbon compounds that form the basis of organic chemistry and drug-making.

“The idea is to do end-to-end production of these 56 APIs but, for now, the priority is on fermentation products. That is why the CSIR is working closely with the department of pharmaceuticals and the coal and petroleum industries,” Dr Srivari Chandrasekhar, director of the Hyderabad-based Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, a constituent lab of the CSIR, told ThePrint.

“Both deal with carbon compounds and molasses comprising five-six of seven carbon compounds that can be purified and used as APIs. We are hopeful that we would have 10-12 APIs in the coming two-three years,” he added.

In the first phase, the focus is on about 30 ingredients. The plan to make APIs in India has been in the works for some time but the CSIR was engaged only recently, he said.

Source: The Print