Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has called for scaling up India’s indigenous biosimilar insulin production, highlighting a critical domestic manufacturing gap as global insulin supply chains face growing pressure from multinational companies shifting focus toward newer GLP-1 therapies.

The issue came up during a meeting with International Diabetes Federation (IDF) President-elect Dr Niti Pall, who is currently visiting India. 

The discussions focused on strengthening India’s capabilities in biosimilar insulins, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems and insulin pumps, with both sides underlining the urgent need to build affordable and resilient diabetes care manufacturing ecosystems. Dr Pall noted that global insulin production remains concentrated among a handful of companies, creating supply vulnerabilities and affordability challenges, particularly for Type 1 diabetes patients dependent on lifelong therapy. 

Jitendra Singh said that while India already has strong capabilities in pharmaceuticals and medical devices, domestic insulin manufacturing remains relatively limited, presenting both a challenge and a strategic growth opportunity. He added that the Department of Biotechnology is already supporting efforts to expand insulin manufacturing capacity, including recent initiatives involving an Indian company. 

The minister stressed that increasing insulin availability is not only a national priority given India’s high diabetes burden, but also a global responsibility, as countries across Asia and Africa increasingly look to India for cost-effective diabetes care solutions, much like vaccines in the past. 

The interaction also covered the fast-evolving diabetes device landscape, especially low-cost CGMs and insulin delivery technologies, where Chinese manufacturers are rapidly gaining global market share through aggressive pricing. Singh said Indian companies possess the technological capability to develop comparable devices and called for stronger industry participation and targeted ecosystem support. 

Both sides also explored deeper collaboration opportunities involving clinical trials, technology development and financing models, with the minister proposing a larger stakeholder consultation during Dr Pall’s next India visit in July to accelerate manufacturing scale-up and global outreach. 

The development aligns with the government’s broader push to strengthen India’s bio-manufacturing base, positioning the country to play a bigger role in ensuring equitable global access to affordable diabetes therapies and devices.