New Delhi: India has made significant strides in domestic manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), with investments of ₹4,763.34 crore under the Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks scheme in just three and a half years, surpassing the original six-year commitment of ₹4,329.95 crore for greenfield projects, the government told Parliament.

The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for bulk drugs aims to reduce supply disruption risks for critical APIs, which are essential for drugs with no substitutes, by lowering dependence on single-source imports. The scheme has a total budgetary outlay of ₹6,940 crore.

Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Anupriya Patel, said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha that production capacities have been established for 26 key starting materials (KSMs), drug intermediates (DIs), and APIs that were previously imported. The scheme has led to cumulative sales of ₹2,315.44 crore as of September 2025, including exports of ₹508.12 crore, helping India avoid imports worth ₹1,807.32 crore.

Meanwhile, the PLI scheme for pharmaceuticals, which focuses on high-value medicines such as biopharmaceuticals, complex generics, patented drugs or those nearing patent expiry, autoimmune drugs, anti-cancer drugs, and APIs/DIs/KSMs not covered under the bulk drug scheme, has a total budgetary outlay of ₹15,000 crore.

As of September 2025, India has exceeded its targeted investment of ₹17,275 crore over the six-year period, with a cumulative ₹40,890 crore invested in both brownfield and greenfield projects. Under this scheme, 726 APIs/KSMs/DIs are now being manufactured domestically, including 191 produced for the first time.

Cumulative domestic sales of APIs, KSMs, and DIs under the scheme stand at ₹26,123 crore as of September 2025, significantly contributing to import substitution. The tenure of the scheme extends until the financial year 2028-29, the minister added.

IANS