By: Rahul Koul
Last updated : September 19, 2026 9:44 am
Department of Pharmaceuticals Secretary pointed to the experience of the US and China, where stronger links between industry and public research institutions have supported innovation
The government wants the pharmaceutical industry to put greater pressure on regulators to accelerate reforms and make India’s regulatory system a competitive advantage for the country’s life sciences sector, said Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals while speaking at the 8th CII Pharma & Lifesciences Summit 2026 in New Delhi.
Joshi said the government’s natural tendency was to be conservative and avoid mistakes, making sustained pressure from industry and other stakeholders important for driving regulatory change.
“Keep pressurising us so that we carry out the reforms. The pressure has to come either from industry or from people above you for making changes,” Joshi said.
He pointed to several areas where the regulatory process could be made faster, including approvals involving the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM), state regulatory authorities, industry queries and testing carried out by different institutions.
He also called for greater parallelisation of regulatory processes, including manufacturing permissions and inspections, instead of following sequential processes that can add to timelines.
According to Joshi, India should seek to turn regulatory reform into an advantage rather than allowing it to become a constraint on innovation and investment.
“The way people are citing the Chinese regulatory system as one of the reasons why things have moved so much in China, I hope in a year's time, people start citing India also as a case where things are moving because the regulatory system is moving fast,” he said.
Joshi also highlighted the increasing risk appetite among Indian companies, particularly startups and companies investing in manufacturing and research. He said he had seen companies in Delhi, Mumbai and Gujarat committing capital to new manufacturing facilities and research, while startups were also taking significant risks.
However, he said greater risk-taking was needed from large companies as well as venture funds and investment firms to support innovation.
Industry-academia gap
Joshi also flagged the need for stronger collaboration between industry and government and academic laboratories, saying India was not making enough use of its public research infrastructure.
He called for greater engagement between industry and institutions such as the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
“Their job is not just to produce HR. Their job is also to do research. And they can't do it without you working with them,” Joshi said, urging industry to work more closely with government laboratories.
He pointed to the experience of the US and China, where stronger links between industry and public research institutions have supported innovation, and said India should examine how similar collaboration could be strengthened.
Joshi also urged the pharmaceutical industry to increase R&D spending while seeking faster regulatory approvals.
At the same time, he asked industry bodies to make more specific recommendations on regulatory and policy changes.
“In most of the forums, except in private forums, industry is not really specific,” he said, adding that more specific demands would increase the possibility of government working with industry to implement changes.
Joshi said the government and industry needed to continue the dialogue with a shared ambition of enabling India to grow its innovation ecosystem across both small and large companies.
Held on 18th September under the theme “Future of Pharma: Patient-Centric, Equity-Driven, and Innovation-Led,” the CII Pharma and Life Sciences Summit brought together policymakers, regulators, pharmaceutical companies, investors and academia to discuss the next phase of India’s life sciences growth.