India Is World's Largest Vaccine Producer by Volume: Minister
Dr Jitendra Singh said India is the world's largest vaccine producer by volume, supplying more than 100 countries, as the CEPI Board met in New Delhi.

Why in News
On 13 September 2026 Dr Jitendra Singh told a CEPI Board and Investors Council reception in New Delhi that India is the world's largest vaccine producer and supplier by volume.
India is the world's largest vaccine producer and supplier by volume. Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh said so on 13 September 2026. He was speaking at a high-level reception for the Board and Investors Council of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, known as CEPI. The Department of Biotechnology and CEPI hosted it jointly at the India International Centre in New Delhi. The CEPI governance meeting returned to India after a decade.
India's place in world vaccine supply
| Countries supplied | More than 100 |
| Share of world vaccine output | Nearly 60 per cent |
| Share of WHO routine immunisation needs met | More than 65 per cent |
| Bioeconomy size in 2025 | USD 195.3 billion, growing 18 per cent |
| Biotech startups | 11,855, of which 1,780 were added in 2025 |
| Biopharma share of bioeconomy | Nearly 30 per cent |
The India-CEPI partnership
India is a founding member of CEPI. The engagement strategy between DBT, BIRAC and CEPI was first executed in October 2019. It was renewed in September 2025 for another five years. The India-centric mission is called Ind-CEPI. It is carried out by BRIC-THSTI and BIRAC.
What the partnership has delivered
Ind-CEPI produced GEMCOVAC-19, India's first mRNA vaccine against COVID-19, which received Emergency Use Authorisation. An inactivated chikungunya vaccine candidate is in Phase II and Phase III trials. Vaccine candidates against monkeypox and pan-sarbecoviruses use Multivalent Self-assembled Nanocage technology and are at an advanced pre-clinical stage. The BRIC-THSTI Bioassay Laboratory is one of CEPI's 17 centralised network laboratories. It has supported eight vaccine candidates and has tested more than one lakh samples.
Training and the road ahead
The PACT programme has trained more than 2,400 participants online. They came from 14 friendly and neighbouring countries. The Minister said India's varied disease burden is itself a scientific advantage for research on pathogens. He said the country now faces both communicable diseases and a rising load of non-communicable and metabolic disorders. He said India can add to the global store of biomedical solutions, not only to its own preparedness.
Important Facts
| Speaker | Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology |
|---|---|
| Occasion | CEPI Board and Investors Council reception, India International Centre, New Delhi |
| CEPI full form | Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations |
| Countries supplied with vaccines | More than 100 |
| Share of global vaccine production | Nearly 60 per cent |
| Bioeconomy, 2025 | USD 195.3 billion, up 18 per cent |
| Biotech startups | 11,855, including 1,780 added in 2025 |
| India's first mRNA COVID-19 vaccine | GEMCOVAC-19, under Ind-CEPI |
| CEPI centralised network laboratories | 17, one of them the BRIC-THSTI Bioassay Laboratory |
Exam Point of View
Remember the CEPI full form, that India is a founding member, the bioeconomy figure of USD 195.3 billion in 2025, the share of nearly 60 per cent of world vaccine production, GEMCOVAC-19 as India's first mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and the 17 CEPI network laboratories.
Practice Questions
What does CEPI stand for?
- A.Council for Epidemic Prevention in India
- B.Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
- C.Centre for Emerging Pathogen Investigation
- D.Commission for Epidemic Policy and Immunisation
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
Explanation
The correct answer is Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Its Board and Investors Council met in New Delhi, and the Department of Biotechnology and CEPI jointly hosted a high-level evening reception at the India International Centre. The meeting brought the organisation's governance back to India after a decade. India is a founding member of the coalition and a long-standing strategic partner. The Department of Biotechnology and BIRAC work with CEPI under a tripartite engagement strategy that was first executed in October 2019 and renewed in September 2025 for another five years. Options A, C and D are invented expansions and none of them appears in the release. Abbreviations of international health bodies are asked very often, so learn the exact words behind each letter rather than a rough sense of what the body does.
What was the size of India's bioeconomy in 2025, according to the release?
- A.USD 165.3 billion
- B.USD 185.7 billion
- C.USD 195.3 billion
- D.USD 215.9 billion
Show answer
Correct answer: C. USD 195.3 billion
Explanation
The correct answer is USD 195.3 billion. India's bioeconomy reached that size in 2025 and recorded eighteen per cent growth over the previous year. The country's biotech startup ecosystem expanded to 11,855 startups, of which 1,780 were added in that single year, and the biopharma sector accounts for nearly thirty per cent of the bioeconomy. The Minister used these figures to argue that India's capabilities can no longer be seen only through the prism of vaccine manufacturing, since the country has moved into advanced vaccine technologies and complex biological products. Options A, B and D give sizes that do not appear in the release. In examinations a figure like this is usually paired with its year and its growth rate, so remember the three together rather than the amount alone.
Which was India's first mRNA vaccine against COVID-19, delivered under the Ind-CEPI mission?
- A.GEMCOVAC-19
- B.BHARATVAC-19
- C.NANOCOV-21
- D.SARBEVAX-19
Show answer
Correct answer: A. GEMCOVAC-19
Explanation
The correct answer is GEMCOVAC-19. The India-centric CEPI mission, Ind-CEPI, is implemented by BRIC-THSTI and BIRAC, and this vaccine was among its important outcomes. It received Emergency Use Authorisation. Other results of the mission include an inactivated chikungunya vaccine candidate now in Phase II and Phase III trials, and candidates against monkeypox and pan-sarbecoviruses built on Multivalent Self-assembled Nanocage technology, which are at an advanced pre-clinical stage. The partnership also created shared infrastructure: the BRIC-THSTI Bioassay Laboratory is one of CEPI's 17 centralised network laboratories and has supported eight vaccine candidates. Options B, C and D are invented names that do not appear in the release. Candidates should keep the vaccine name, the platform used and the mission that produced it together in memory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does CEPI stand for?
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. India is a founding member, and its Board and Investors Council met in New Delhi on 13 September 2026, a decade after the previous governance meeting in India.
How large is India's bioeconomy?
It reached USD 195.3 billion in 2025, growing 18 per cent year on year. The biopharma sector accounts for nearly 30 per cent of it, and the country had 11,855 biotech startups.
Which vaccine did Ind-CEPI deliver first?
GEMCOVAC-19, India's first mRNA vaccine against COVID-19, which received Emergency Use Authorisation. Ind-CEPI is implemented by BRIC-THSTI and BIRAC.
Sources
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