AI Boosts Indian Pharma's Global Competitiveness, but Cost, Time Gains Unquantified, Parliament Told
New Delhi: The Government has recently informed the Parliament that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a significant opportunity for the Indian pharmaceutical industry, with the potential to enhance global competitiveness.
During a recent Lok Sabha session, MPs Shri Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy and Shri Eatala Rajender raised questions on whether AI has reduced the cost of developing new pharmaceutical molecules by ten times and shortened development time by fifty percent, thereby creating an opportunity for India to invent a clutch of globally competitive drugs. They further sought whether this situation is creating an opening for the country to develop competitive drugs globally in the near future.
Responding to the queries, the Minister of State (MoS) for Chemicals and Fertilizers Anupriya Patel stated that the use of AI represents an emerging opportunity for domestic industry to enhance its global competitiveness. She noted that the pharmaceutical industry is actively exploring multiple AI-enabled platforms across the drug development chain.
According to the Minister, AI is being applied in:
• Target identification
• Lead optimisation
• Molecular screening
• Predictive toxicology
• Regulatory intelligence
These applications have the potential to reduce costs and timeframes for the early stages of drug development.
However, the Minister clarified that “the extent of such reduction has not been quantified conclusively.” Therefore, while AI may significantly improve efficiency and capability, definitive numerical reductions in cost or timelines—such as the ten-fold cost reduction and 50% time reduction quoted in the question—have not been officially established.
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