Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026
14:51
Pooled shRNA Library Screening to Identify Factors that Modulate a Drug Resistance Phenotype
Published on: June 17, 2022
Is drug development in India is responsive to disease burden: A descriptive study
1Department of Pharmacology, AIMS, Mohali, Punjab, India.
Perspectives in Clinical Research
|August 13, 2026
Summary
India
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical research and drug development
- Public health and epidemiology
- Healthcare policy and unmet needs
Background:
- India faces a significant disease burden from both noncommunicable and infectious diseases.
- New drug approvals are crucial for addressing public health challenges and unmet healthcare needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between approved drugs and the disease burden in India.
- To assess the need for addressing unmet healthcare needs through drug development.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study analyzing new drug approvals (January 2020-August 2024) from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization.
- Disease burden data (mortality and disability, 2017-2021) obtained from the World Health Organization.
- Descriptive analysis to assess the relationship between drug approval trends and disease burden.
Main Results:
- 126 new drugs were approved between 2020 and 2024.
- 29.36% of approved drugs targeted leading causes of mortality and morbidity, including ischemic heart disease, COPD, diabetes, diarrheal diseases, lower respiratory tract infections, and tuberculosis.
- A small proportion of drugs were approved for major diseases: 15% for infectious diseases (7% for COVID-19), 7% for cardiovascular disease, 6% for diabetes, and 0.7% for anemia.
Conclusions:
- While drug development in India shows increasing focus on noncommunicable and infectious diseases, a lower proportion of approvals target the leading causes of morbidity and mortality.
- There is a critical need to enhance research output and drug development efforts in India to better align with the nation's disease burden.
- Addressing unmet healthcare needs requires intensified focus on developing drugs for prevalent and severe conditions.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Drug Discovery: Overview
Drug discovery is a multifaceted process involving extensive screening, testing, and optimization of lead compounds to identify potential new drugs for therapeutic use. It combines several approaches, including screening large numbers of natural products, chemical modification of known active molecules, identification of new drug targets, and rational design based on biological mechanisms and drug-receptor structure. These approaches are carried out in both academic research laboratories and...
01:19Pharmacovigilance
Post-marketing surveillance is a critical component of pharmaceutical regulation, often uncovering unanticipated adverse drug reactions (ADRs) once a drug is widely used over an extended period.
This process, termed pharmacovigilance, aims to detect, evaluate, and minimize harmful effects related to medication use. The data collection for pharmacovigilance depends on spontaneous reporting systems, where healthcare professionals or patients voluntarily report suspected ADRs.
In some cases, there...
This process, termed pharmacovigilance, aims to detect, evaluate, and minimize harmful effects related to medication use. The data collection for pharmacovigilance depends on spontaneous reporting systems, where healthcare professionals or patients voluntarily report suspected ADRs.
In some cases, there...
01:11Clinical Trials: Overview
Clinical development focuses on how the drug will interact with the human body and encompasses four key phases of clinical trials, each serving a specific purpose in assessing the safety and effectiveness of new drugs. These phases overlap and build upon one another. Phase I involves a small group of healthy volunteers (typically 20-80 individuals) or, in cases where significant toxicity is expected, patients with the targeted disease, such as cancer or AIDS. The volunteers are tested for...
01:28Preclinical Development: Overview
Preclinical development consists of a series of tests that ensure the safety and efficacy of a new therapeutic compound before it is tested in humans. There are four main phases to this process. First, safety pharmacology tests are conducted to ensure the drug does not produce any acutely harmful effects. These tests examine parameters such as bronchoconstriction, cardiac dysrhythmias, blood pressure changes, and ataxia. Next, preliminary toxicological testing is performed to determine the...
01:25Drug Regulation
Drug regulation encompasses the management of drug usage by evaluating its safety and efficacy through assessments conducted by regulatory authorities. Regrettably, the history of drug regulation is marred by several catastrophic events. One such incident is the Elixir Sulfanilamide tragedy, in which the toxic compound diethyl glycol was included in a sweet-tasting medication, leading to numerous fatalities. This event prompted the enactment of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act in 1938. Under...
01:26Drug Administration and Therapy Phases: Overview
Drugs, the chemical agents used in diagnosing, treating, or preventing diseases, undergo a four-phase process of development: pharmaceutic, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and therapeutic.
The pharmaceutical phase focuses on leveraging the physicochemical properties of the drug to design and manufacture an effective product. Variants include orally administered tablets or capsules, topical creams or ointments, and parenteral-delivery solutions or emulsions.
The pharmacokinetic phase...
The pharmaceutical phase focuses on leveraging the physicochemical properties of the drug to design and manufacture an effective product. Variants include orally administered tablets or capsules, topical creams or ointments, and parenteral-delivery solutions or emulsions.
The pharmacokinetic phase...