The Department of Pharmaceuticals has extended the deadline for online applications under the Production Linked Incentive scheme for bulk drugs to January 16, 2026, allowing additional time for companies seeking support to manufacture key ingredients for the carbapenem antibiotic meropenem and the antiretroviral drug ritonavir.
Under the PLI scheme to promote domestic manufacturing of critical key starting materials, drug intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients, the Department had in November invited eligible firms to apply for production of these products under the target segment covering other chemical-synthesis-based KSMs, DIs and APIs. Support is proposed for eight additional firms. The earlier deadline for online submission was December 26, 2025. All other conditions specified in the November 26 notice remain unchanged.
For meropenem, up to four applicants will be selected in this round, each with a minimum annual capacity of 4 metric tonnes, taking total proposed capacity to 16 metric tonnes. For ritonavir, a maximum of four applicants may be selected with a minimum annual capacity of 5 metric tonnes each, aggregating to 20 metric tonnes.
Applicants must comply with scheme conditions including allocation based on available capacities, product-wise incentive ceilings, and limits on incentives over the production tenure, which for chemical-synthesis-based products runs up to FY 2027–28. Companies, including group entities or subsidiaries, that were earlier approved for the same unsubscribed products but later withdrew or had approvals cancelled due to non-performance or other reasons are not eligible to reapply.
The bulk drugs PLI scheme was launched on March 20, 2020, with a total outlay of ₹6,940 crore for FY 2020–21 to FY 2029–30 to reduce import dependence on 41 identified bulk drugs. In August, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers said 32 companies had been selected for greenfield manufacturing through 48 projects covering 33 APIs, DIs and KSMs.
As of June 2025, 3¼ years of implementation had been completed for chemical-synthesis-based products and 2¼ years for fermentation-based products under the scheme’s six-year production tenure.
Against committed investment of ₹3,938.5 crore, cumulative investment under approved projects exceeded targets and reached ₹4,709 crore. Domestic capacity with minimum domestic value addition of 90 percent for fermentation-based products and 70 percent for chemical-synthesis-based products has been created for 26 APIs, KSMs and DIs. Cumulative sales of ₹1,962 crore have been reported from FY 2022–23 onwards, including exports of ₹479 crore, resulting in import substitution worth ₹1,483 crore.
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