News

AI Platforms and Connected Manufacturing Set to Power India’s Biopharma Breakthrough: Report

A new EY-Parthenon report launched at BioAsia 2026 calls for a platform-led transformation in Indian biopharma, with AI-native R&D and integrated manufacturing key to the sector’s next growth phase.

• By PharmaNews Live Desk
• New Delhi
• Feb 18, 2026

News

Indian biopharmaceuticals are entering a new era where artificial intelligence (AI)-driven research platforms, reusable discovery systems and connected manufacturing networks will increasingly define competitive advantage, according to a report unveiled at the BioAsia 2026 conference by EY-Parthenon India.

The report, Pharma’s New Architecture: Where Novel Science Meets AI and Manufacturing Power, highlights how the sector is shifting from traditional, incremental, product-by-product development to integrated, platform-based models that fuse discovery science, AI-native research, advanced manufacturing and resilient supply chains.

Platform-Led Innovation Replaces One-Off Development

According to the study, rising scientific complexity is compelling companies to abandon siloed drug programmes in favour of reusable platforms that apply shared data, workflows and development pathways across multiple therapeutic candidates.

“Sustained structural reset is underway in Indian biopharma,” said Suresh Subramanian, National Lifesciences Leader at EY-Parthenon India. “Scientific breakthroughs alone are no longer enough. The winners will be those who integrate discovery, AI-native intelligence and manufacturing into disciplined, repeatable platforms. The shift from one-off products to reusable engines – from mRNA and CRISPR to AI-driven design stacks – is redefining speed, reliability and scale.”

This platform thinking, the report suggests, reduces duplication and boosts execution predictability by compounding learning across projects rather than treating each molecule as a standalone endeavour.

India Positioned to Emerge as Innovation Hub

The Fortune India coverage of the same report notes that the integration of India’s digital capabilities, biologics expertise and expanding contract research, development and manufacturing organisation (CRDMO) infrastructure could help the country transcend its historic role as merely the “pharmacy of the world.”

“By connecting these strengths into platform-led models, India can emerge as a global innovation and execution hub for next-generation therapies,” said Daniel Mathews, a referenced industry voice in the Fortune India coverage.

Executives highlighted how AI and advanced analytics are not just enhancing R&D efficiency but also accelerating insights across clinical development and manufacturing processes — marking a deeper convergence of biology and digital technologies in the sector’s evolution.

Shift Toward Complex Therapies and Biologics

The EY-Parthenon report underscores a broader market shift, with biologics now comprising more than half of global prescription revenues and projected to approach 60 % by 2028. Novel modalities such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), bispecifics, RNA therapies, and cell and gene therapies are attracting investment despite their regulatory and scientific complexity.

Next-Generation Biopharma: Challenges and Opportunity

While the platform-led model offers potential to accelerate discovery and manufacturing cycles, the report and accompanying industry commentary also point to the need for supportive policy frameworks, deeper investment in AI capabilities, and enhanced supply-chain resilience to sustain long-term growth.

As Indian biopharma seeks to scale innovation and deliver more complex therapies globally, the strategic integration of AI with manufacturing is emerging as a defining priority — with implications for research institutions, multinational firms and startup ecosystems alike.