Catalyzing the Future of Medicinal Chemistry Research in India

The present publication provides a comprehensive look at more than a decade (2010 to midyear of 2023) of medicinal chemistry research in India, focusing on contributions to medicinal chemistry and drug discovery from both Indian academia and industries. The work provides an overview of cutting-edge medicinal chemistry research along with the organic-transformation-based chemical research scenarios in India in the past decade. It also distinguishes areas of research as well as contributions from different federal research institutes, state universities, central universities, and private universities by their geographical locations around India. The paper takes broader stock of the situation by comparing the articles published in the two internationally acclaimed journals in the field, viz. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry and Organic Letters, which highlights the current research trends as well as the thrust needed at the grass-roots level to boost medicinal chemistry and drug discovery research in India. Finally, we believe that this discussion may create a pathway for policymakers and funding agencies to focus their efforts to motivate lesser inclined institutions as well as provide incentives to the institutions primarily involved in medicinal chemistry research, as they already have built capacity for such research.