Telangana aims to emerge as India’s life sciences innovation capital with $25B investment target by 2030

As India sets an ambitious roadmap to reach a $130 billion pharmaceutical market valuation by 2030, industry leaders converged in Hyderabad to outline the country’s shift from volume-driven manufacturing to high-value innovation, research, and global regulatory excellence.

Ahead of the 19th edition of CPHI & PMEC India 2026, scheduled for November across two venues, senior stakeholders emphasized that the next phase of Indian pharma requires a synchronised effort across CDMO services, digital transformation, and stringent quality compliance.

The official launch and precursor event of CPHI & PMEC India 2026, held under the banner of the Pharma Leadership Exchange at the Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre, brought together an exceptional gathering of pharma leaders, CXOs, industry stalwarts, and key voices from across India’s pharmaceutical and life sciences ecosystem, including Sarvesh Singh, Director & CEO,  LifeSciences & Pharma, Government of Telangana; Pushpa Vijayaraghavan, Director, Healthcare & Lifesciences Advisory, Sathguru Management Consultants; M. Roja Rani, Executive Director, Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association of India (BDMAI) and Chakravarthi AVPS, Chairman-Federation of Pharma Entrepreneurs, Telangana & Andhra Pradesh, and Rahul Deshpande, Sr. Group Director, Informa Markets in India.

With Telangana contributing nearly 40% of India’s pharmaceutical production and approximately one-third of global vaccine output, the state is positioning itself as the nation’s life sciences innovation capital.

Sarvesh Singh, CEO, Lifesciences & Pharma, Government of Telangana, said, “Our focus is on moving up the value chain, from generics and APIs to biologics, biosimilars, cell and gene therapies, and other cutting-edge areas where biology, chemistry and technology converge. With a strong research ecosystem, global capability centres, a deep talent pool, world-class manufacturing infrastructure and more than 20 dedicated life sciences incubators supporting over 1,000 startups, Telangana has all the ingredients to drive the next phase of life sciences innovation. Through our Next-Gen Life Sciences Policy 2026–2030, we aim to attract $25 billion in investments and create more than 5 lakhs jobs over the next five years. We are also positioning Telangana at the intersection of biology and deep technology, leveraging AI, data science and advanced technologies to accelerate research, innovation and sustainable manufacturing. We are strengthening global partnerships across the US, Europe, Japan, South Korea and China, while creating an environment that enables global companies, research institutions and startups to collaborate and scale. Our Green Skills Centre of Excellence, established in collaboration with Microsoft and 1M1B, is another important step, using AI and deep tech to address real-world sustainability and ESG challenges while building future-ready skills."

Industry experts noted that while India maintains a robust generic medicine base, the future lies in "backward integration"—reducing dependency on imported key starting materials—and embracing the CRDMO (Contract Research and Development Manufacturing Organization) boom.

With the global CRDMO industry projected to reach up to $22 billion by 2030, integration between technology providers and manufacturers is becoming a strategic necessity.

The 19th edition of CPHI & PMEC India 2026 will be hosted across two venues, with CPHI India at IICC, Yashobhoomi, Dwarka from 23–25 November 2026, and PMEC India at IEML, Greater Noida from 24–26 November 2026. CPHI India will focus on finished dosage, excipients, natural extracts, fine chemicals and intermediates, and APIs, while PMEC India will focus on cleanroom technology, machinery and equipment, packaging, and laboratory and analytical equipment.

The shows will also be supported by key industry bodies including the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil), Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association (IDMA) and Federation of Pharma Entrepreneurs (FOPE).