Three stubborn men and $1.5 billion put India on global new-drug map

The long, expensive road to discovery

For decades, India was known as the pharmacy of the developing world—a master of reverse-engineering patented drugs, not inventing new ones. That narrative has quietly shifted. A new report from Livemint traces how three stubborn scientists, backed by nearly $1.5 billion poured in over two decades, finally put India on the world’s new-drug map.

It was never a straight line. The journey involved repeated failures, regulatory hurdles, and financial near-collapses. But the three men—each with a different specialty—refused to give up. Their combined persistence created molecules that are now in clinical trials globally.

The trio behind the breakthrough

The scientists come from different backgrounds. One is a chemist who spent years tweaking molecular structures. Another is a pharmacologist who understood how drugs behave inside the body. The third is a clinician who saw the unmet needs of patients firsthand. Together, they formed a rare Indian ecosystem for original drug discovery.

Each brought complementary skills. The chemist synthesised novel compounds. The pharmacologist tested them in animal models. The clinician designed human trials. This division of labour, rare in India, allowed them to move from lab bench to bedside faster than most Indian teams ever have.

None of this happened overnight. The first molecule took nearly a decade to reach Phase 1 trials. The second failed midway. The third succeeded—and that success attracted global attention.

$1.5 billion in patient capital

Financing such long-term, high-risk research is notoriously difficult in India. Venture capital prefers quick exits. Government grants are small and bureaucratic. Yet, over two decades, about $1.5 billion flowed into these projects from a mix of sources: domestic pharmaceutical companies, foreign investors, and occasional government support.

The money was not always easy to raise. At several points, the projects ran out of funds. Scientists mortgaged their homes. Companies delayed salaries. But the investors who stayed the course—some losing money on early failures—eventually saw returns when a molecule showed promise.

Today, one of the drugs developed by this trio is in late-stage trials for a chronic disease with no existing cure. If it clears regulatory approval, it will be among the first truly original drugs discovered and developed entirely in India.

What this means for Indian pharma

India’s pharmaceutical industry has long been admired for producing affordable generics. But generics are a low-margin, high-volume business. Original drug discovery offers higher margins and global prestige. The success of these three men proves that Indian scientists can compete with the best in the world—provided they get sustained funding and institutional support.

Other Indian companies are now trying to replicate this model. Several have set up dedicated discovery units. The government has also launched a national mission to boost drug discovery. But the template remains rare: a handful of stubborn individuals, a decade of patience, and a billion dollars in risk capital.

What to watch next

The key drug from this effort is expected to complete its final trial phase within two years. If approved, it will open the door for more Indian-origin drugs—and likely attract even larger investments into the country’s discovery pipeline.