India looks to Non-Animal Testing Models to strengthen drug innovation

New Delhi: Many drugs fail not because the science is flawed, but because lab tests don’t predict how they will work in humans. For India, the world’s top supplier of affordable medicines with over $30 billion in annual exports, this gap is now seen as an opportunity.

As the sector shifts toward original drug discovery and complex biologics, experts say the next phase of growth will depend on Non-Animal Testing Models, or NAMs. These use human cells, organoids, and AI to better predict how medicines behave in the body.

By scaling NAMs, India aims to make drug development faster, more accurate, and more ethical, while moving from being a manufacturing hub to a leader in global drug innovation.