Under the first call of the Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP), 41 projects have been approved for around INR 1,600 crore in financial assistance. The approved projects are expected to catalyse an additional INR 3,020 crore of private investment, taking the total research and development (R&D) investment across these projects to around INR 4,620 crore. The approved portfolio spans the innovation value chain, covering novel drug discovery, clinical development and innovative medical technologies.

Of the 41 projects approved so far, 12 are at an early stage and 29 are at a later stage. Nineteen projects are being undertaken by startups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), while 22 are being undertaken by large companies.

In terms of priority areas, 27 projects fall under new medicines, 5 under complex generics and biosimilars, and 9 under novel medical devices.

These projects demonstrate a shift from a predominantly volume-driven pharmaceutical model toward innovation-led, technology-intensive model, bringing together established pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology enterprises and medtech innovators.

The portfolio includes projects by companies and innovators such as Biocon, Bharat Biotech, Sun Pharma, Wockhardt, Zydus, Mankind Pharma, Pandorum Technologies, Cellogen Therapeutics, Aurigene Oncology and Bugworks Research.

The projects demonstrate a wide range of innovation supported under PRIP, including first-in-class innovations, emerging technologies, innovations with potential for global markets and strategic priority innovations addressing areas of high public health importance.

Projects supported under these categories include an antibacterial targeting multidrug-resistant gram-negative infections, an exosome-based regenerative therapy for corneal disease, an in-vivo CAR-T platform, patient-derived breast cancer organoids, a programable RNA-targeting antiviral technology, portable plasmonic-PCR for point-of-care infection diagnosis and a microfluidic platform for TB detection.

Under the strategic priority framework, enhanced support is available for innovations addressing areas such as neglected tropical diseases, rare diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) for India-priority pathogens, pathogens with outbreak or pandemic potential, and vaccines for vaccine-preventable diseases.

Six projects have been approved under this framework so far, including projects relating to bacterial pneumonia/meningitis, dengue, influenza and next-generation tuberculosis (TB) vaccines.

Evaluation of the remaining applications under the first round is underway, with further results to be announced over the coming month.