India is debating the introduction of data exclusivity in pharmaceuticals, a regulatory protection that can delay the entry of generic drugs even after patent expiry. While the move is projected as a way to attract investment and support innovation, it raises serious concerns for India’s generics-driven pharmaceutical industry and access to affordable medicines. In the absence of any international obligation under WTO-TRIPS, the policy choice involves balancing innovation incentives with public health priorities and preserving India’s role as the pharmacy of the developing world.
Click to View MoreIndia faces the world’s highest burden of snakebite deaths, largely due to delayed treatment and weak rural health linkages. The ICMR-led Zero Snakebite Death Initiative seeks to address this gap by integrating community-based prevention, rapid response, and evidence-driven health system strengthening, drawing on successful local models such as Assam’s Demow Model. By shifting the focus from hospital-centric care to early intervention and community empowerment, the initiative offers a realistic pathway to significantly reduce preventable snakebite mortality in India.
Click to View MoreNavara is an ancient medicinal rice native to Kerala’s Palakkad region, valued for its therapeutic role in Ayurveda and its rich nutritional profile. Once widely grown, it has become rare due to low yields, labour-intensive cultivation, pest sensitivity, and competition from hybrid varieties. Despite these challenges, Navara remains important for its cultural significance, biodiversity value, GI tag recognition, and unique place in traditional health practices.
Click to View MoreGallbladder cancer has emerged as a silent epidemic in India’s Gangetic belt, driven by polluted water, food contamination, poverty and gender inequality. It disproportionately affects rural women, often detected late with high treatment costs and poor survival. Weak surveillance, non-notifiability of cancer and ineffective environmental governance keep the crisis invisible. Addressing it requires pollution control, gender-sensitive screening, clean water access, stronger cancer reporting systems and integrated health–environment policy action.
Click to View MoreNeurotechnology—ranging from brain-computer interfaces to neural stimulation—offers India major gains in health, innovation, and economic growth by improving treatment for neurological disorders, enabling assistive devices, and creating new tech industries. Globally, countries like the U.S., China, and Chile are advancing neurotech while shaping ethical norms and neurorights. However, its promise depends on strong regulation that safeguards mental privacy, autonomy, equity, and long-term safety. If India builds research capacity, industry linkages, and ethical oversight,
Click to View MoreThe WHO’s first guideline on GLP-1 therapy marks a major shift in treating obesity as a chronic disease rather than a behavioural issue. It conditionally recommends drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide for adults with obesity, but only alongside diet, exercise, and counselling. While the therapy shows significant weight loss and metabolic benefits, WHO warns of high costs, limited access, safety gaps, and the need for strong health systems to ensure equitable, long-term care.
Click to View MoreThe world’s first human H5N5 bird flu death has been reported in Washington. While the virus poses low human risk, it remains a significant ecological and agricultural threat. No human-to-human transmission is detected, but scientists urge vigilant surveillance and One Health–based monitoring to prevent future spillover events.
Click to View MoreTelevision remains a powerful tool for inclusive education in India, offering curriculum-based learning through Doordarshan, PM e-Vidya channels, and SWAYAM Prabha. It proved indispensable during COVID-19 and continues to bridge digital divides by providing free, multilingual content accessible to millions of students nationwide.
Click to View MoreIndia struggles to win science Nobels because rigid institutions block innovation. Bureaucratic hiring, internal politics, and metric-driven incentives suppress young talent. Experts insist India must overhaul governance, ensure transparent hiring, and promote merit-based funding to unlock transformative scientific progress.
Click to View MoreIndia launched Nafithromycin, its first indigenous Macrolide antibiotic, developed by Wockhardt with BIRAC support. Marketed as ‘Miqnaf,’ it treats drug-resistant pneumonia with a three-day course and tenfold efficacy, marking the first global breakthrough in its class in over 30 years.
Click to View MoreIndia’s biotechnology industry has grown rapidly, expanding from a small startup base in 2014 to over 10,000 firms by 2025 and reaching a bioeconomy value of USD 165.7 billion. Supported by initiatives like BIRAC, DBT, and the BioE3 Policy, the sector drives innovation in vaccines, genomics, and bio-manufacturing. However, it faces challenges such as funding shortages, fragmented infrastructure, and outdated regulations. With strategic reforms, investment in R&D, and global partnerships, India aims to achieve a USD 300 billion bioeconomy by 2030 and emerge as a global leader in biotechnology.
Click to View MoreE-waste, the fastest-growing solid waste stream globally, is now one of India’s most pressing yet least acknowledged urban crises. Our embrace of electronics has outpaced our ability to manage their afterlife, resulting in widespread informal recycling practices that are endangering both ecosystems and human health—especially in the country’s most marginalised communities.
Click to View More
© 2026 iasgyan. All right reserved