Indigenous antibiotic drug developed for respiratory infections

The information was shared by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who said the antibiotic is the first molecule entirely conceptualised, developed and clinically validated in India.

The antibiotic, Naphithromycin, has been developed by the Department of Biotechnology in collaboration with private pharma house Wockhardt.

Citing this as an example of successful industry-academia partnership driving India’s biopharmaceutical growth, the Union Minister emphasised the need to build a self-sustainable innovation ecosystem, so that India could reduce its dependence on government funding and create a culture of private sector participation and philanthropic support to achieve global recognition in research and innovation.

Inaugurating the three-day medical workshop on “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Multi-Omics Data Integration and Analysis”, Singh said India must develop a self-sustainable ecosystem to drive its scientific and research growth. He stated that most nations that have achieved global recognition in science and innovation have done so through self-sustaining, innovation-driven models with extensive engagement of the private sector.

Citing another successful story of government-non government collaboration, the minister also announced that India has achieved a major breakthrough in gene therapy, marking the first successful indigenous clinical trial for haemophilia treatment, the trial for which was supported by the Department of Biotechnology and done in Christian Medical College, Vellore.

Singh highlighted that artificial intelligence (AI) has become one of the most transformative tools of the modern era, reshaping healthcare accessibility, governance efficiency and decision-making. He mentioned that AI-based hybrid mobile clinics are already serving rural and remote regions, ensuring quality healthcare for all.

He lauded institutions like Sir Ganga Ram Hospital for pioneering interdisciplinary approaches by integrating AI, biotechnology and genomics to improve healthcare outcomes.

The minister underscored that India is entering a new era of self-reliance in biotechnology, AI and genomic medicine.