Current status of research in rare genetic disorders and drug discovery in India

The major health agenda of India so far has prioritized infectious diseases and public health. Given the socioeconomic conditions and poverty, a large fraction of the Indian population is exposed to infections from different pathogens, most notably enteric, parasitic, mycobacterial, and viral. In recent years, however, there has been a decline in the spread of these diseases with better surveillance, availability of therapy, improvement of socioeconomic conditions, and education. It is now being realized that non-communicable diseases are reaching epidemic proportions in India and there is a greater emphasis on the diagnosis and management of these diseases. The proportion of deaths due to non-communicable diseases has gone up substantially and was found to be about 61.8% of all deaths in 2016 (https://www.wbhealth.gov.in/NCD/).