Overview At BioAsia 2026 on 17 February 2026 , a high‑level panel on advanced therapies highlighted India’s growing stature as a global manufacturing backbone for next‑generation biologics. Senior leaders from Bharat Biotech , Quantoom Biosciences , the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) , ImmunoACT , Apollo Health Axis and Actinium Pharmaceuticals underscored the synergy of innovation, skilled manpower and scalable production needed to meet worldwide demand for vaccines, RNA platforms, cell and gene therapies. Key Developments Development 1: Raches Ella of Bharat Biotech emphasized that one in three children globally receive vaccines manufactured in India, and the company aims to serve the entire annual birth cohort of ~125 million children. Development 2: Jose Castillo , CEO of Quantoom Biosciences , noted India as an early‑adopter and risk‑taking market for biomanufacturing innovations, with some of the first commercial bioreactors using his technology deployed here. Development 3: Darrin Morrissey of NIBRT highlighted Ireland’s success—producing biologics worth €100 billion annually —and ongoing talks with the Telangana government to replicate such ecosystems in India. Important Facts Fact 1: India’s vaccine production capacity currently covers about 33 % of global childhood immunisation needs , positioning it as a critical supplier in pandemic preparedness. Fact 2: Emerging therapies like CAR‑T cell therapy and radioligand therapy remain under‑developed in India, presenting a substantial unmet clinical trial and market opportunity. UPSC Relevance This discussion intersects with the UPSC syllabus across multiple dimensions: GS Paper II (Science & Technology) – advances in biotechnology, biomanufacturing and health‑related R&D; GS Paper III (Economy & Development) – role of the pharmaceutical sector in export earnings, employment generation and public‑health security; and GS Paper IV (Ethics & Integrity) – equitable access to high‑cost therapies. Questions may probe India’s strategic advantage in biologics, policy measures to boost domestic R&D, or comparative analysis with other biotech hubs like Ireland. Way Forward To cement its position, India must strengthen the end‑to‑end biologics ecosystem: incentivise private‑public partnerships, upscale skilled‑labour training through institutes like NIBRT, and streamline regulatory pathways for cell‑and‑gene therapies. Aligning innovation with affordable patient access—through price‑capping, insurance coverage and tiered pricing—will ensure that cutting‑edge treatments benefit both domestic and global populations.