India maps domestic capacity for 153 critical drugs to speed CGHS procurement

The Indian health ministry has launched a survey of domestic capacity for 153 specialised medicines, aiming to streamline procurement for the Central Government Health Scheme, which serves 4.2 million beneficiaries. A memo dated 7 September instructed pharmaceutical firms and authorised importers to submit regulatory filings, production details and patent expiry data within 15 days. The drug roster includes a range of oncology drugs such as Abemaciclib and Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, metabolic agents like Tirzepatide, and novel therapies for spinal muscular atrophy and multiple myeloma.

Companies must indicate if they are primary producers, importers, loan licence holders or use third-party factories, and provide approvals from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. The collected data will allow the CGHS to move to bulk, centralized purchasing, reduce patient out-of-pocket costs and ensure uninterrupted access while monitoring when cheaper generics can enter the market.