AI Boosts Indian Pharma's Global Competitiveness, but Cost, Time Gains Unquantified, Parliament Told

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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