Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal inaugurated the Bharat Health Global Expo 2026 in New Delhi on September 7, 2026.

As the pharmaceutical industry enters its next phase of growth, he called for a sharper focus on innovation, quality systems and complex, higher-value products.

He said, “With the active and hard work of the pharma industry over the years on generics, India has become quite a success story. But we cannot rest our case with generics. We will have to promote more and more R&D, patent our own products, and put pharma at the forefront of research and innovation. Biosimilars and biotech should become our next frontier. We need a regulatory environment where R&D and innovation become attractive in India, with greater openness to investments in clinical trials, patenting, research and new product development.”

He further said India must match its existing scale with stronger R&D, better quality systems, greater resilience and deeper capabilities in complex products. He also called for closer regulatory convergence with developed markets, and for a policy approach that listens to investors and responds to what global markets require.

He also mentioned that the world is now looking for resilience.

“Resilience does not mean being inward-looking. It means ensuring that supply chains are diversified across geographies and companies, while also identifying areas where India has the potential to build indigenous capabilities,” he added.

Speaking at the event, Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, said, “India's next phase will be from affordable medicines towards pharmaceutical innovation. We have great research, talent and young people with the expertise to take this forward, but technology adoption will be critical. Artificial Intelligence in particular will have to be adopted across the pharmaceutical value chain if Indian companies are to remain competitive and move to the next level.”

The Bharat Health Global Expo 2026 brings India's healthcare and life-sciences capabilities onto a single platform for international markets, with a focus on exports, innovation, global buyers and long-term partnerships.

Rajesh Agrawal, IAS, Secretary, Department of Commerce, said, “India has already unlocked the volume opportunity across the world, and the next priority is to tap the value opportunity. We need to look toward more innovative drugs and solutions and build capabilities across the healthcare supply chain. Our trade agreements are also opening more markets, with pharmaceutical annexes focused not only on tariff concessions but on regulatory harmonisation and clearer pathways for Indian companies to enter and grow in global markets.”