The 3 Non-Communicable Diseases Bleeding Indian Wallets — And Why Budget 2026 Might Change Everything

India is at the forefront of a critical healthcare infection point at the current moment. As the country's medical burden is increasingly shifting towards 'non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases, the treatments have increasingly skyrocketed and this has eventually placed a lot of burden on patients, families and the healthcare system of the country altogether. Against this backdrop, comes the relief of Budget 2026, presented by the Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, earlier today where she introduced the Biopharma Shakti strategy, a bold move to scale up domestic biopharmaceutical manufacturing with the aim of driving down the minimal costs of essential therapies when it comes to non-communicable diseases and in order

to make India a global health innovation hub.

The Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases

Non-communicable diseases now account for the majority of India's mortality and morbidity. The proportion of deaths due to NCDs rose from 37.9% in 1990 to 61.8% in 2016. Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory conditions contribute to roughly 65% of all deaths in the country. These conditions often come with challenges, they require long-term, often expensive treatments, from insulin for diabetes to cancer biologics and advanced immunotherapies for autoimmune diseases, it involves everything. In addition to that there is out-of-pocket medicine expenditure that leaves most of the population of India in debt. Thus, ultimately placing a disproportionate economic burden on middle- and lower-income households. High prices of innovative medicines, reliance on imports of sophisticated therapies, and limited local R&D capacity have kept cutting-edge treatments out of reach for many.

Biopharma Shakti: Budget 2026

In her Budget 2026 speech, the Finance Minister of the country recognised the intensity of this challenge and announced a new initiative christened Biopharma Shakti, an acronym for “Biopharma Strategy for Health Advancement Through Knowledge, Technology and Innovation.” This plan envisages a Rs. 10,000 crore outlay over five years to strengthen India’s biopharma ecosystem, and focuses on the R&D, manufacturing and enhancing advanced therapeutic capabilities in the country. The primary idea is to move from being primarily a generics manufacturer to becoming an innovation-led biopharamaceutical powerhouse. India is already holding a dominant position when it comes to the global generic drug supply by producing roughly 20% of the world’s generic medicines and supplying around 40% of the generic drugs consumed in markets like the United States. However, the problem is that generics alone are insufficient to address the rising demand of novel therapies, such as biologics for cancer, treatments for autoimmune disorders, diabetes analogs and more where the high import costs have kept the prices significantly higher.

How Will Biopharma Shakti Help?

By boosting the capabilities in biotechnology, domestic clinical manufacturing, regulatory science, Biopharma Shakti aims to reduce dependence on foreign producers and eventual import of high-cost medicines, localise innovation and shorten the supply chains as well. Strengthening public-private sector collaboration, funding cutting-edge research and facilitating infrastructure for complex biologics production will be central to this upcoming transformation with Budget 2026. This shift will have far-reaching health and economic benefits. First, it will make advanced therapies more affordable for Indian patients by scaling production and fostering competition. This is especially critical for diseases like diabetes and cancer, where biologic drugs and targeted therapies often cost several times more than small-molecule generics.Second, expanding R&D and manufacturing capabilities will create high-skilled jobs and attract global investment, reinforcing India’s position on the world stage as a biopharma exporter. Over time, innovation-driven products developed in India could not only meet domestic demand but also serve global markets, particularly in low- and middle-income countries facing similar NCD burdens.Finally, it will also lower the cost of treatment and help increase the access that will ultimately improve health outcomes and productivity. This strengthens India's human capital and economic resilience."If implemented with speed and a strong regulatory focus, this initiative could help make access and affordability easier while also making India a credible biopharma manufacturing and innovation destination globally," says Hari Kiran Chereddi, MD & CEO, HRV Pharma. Budget 2026’s Biopharma Shakti initiative signals a transformative policy commitment, one that could democratise access to lifesaving and life-extending therapies for millions of Indians and power India’s emergence as a global biopharmaceutical leader.