India Proposes Elimination of Import License Requirement for Preclinical Drug Testing to Boost R&D
Key Insights
India's Union Health Ministry has proposed replacing the import license requirement (Form 11) with a simpler acknowledgement-based system for drugs imported in small quantities for analytical and non-clinical testing.
The simplified procedure will not apply to biologics, beta-lactam drugs, sex hormones, cytotoxic drugs, and narcotic substances, which will continue to require prior licensing.
The draft amendment follows a similar January 2026 relaxation for domestic test licenses and reduces the processing timeline for new drug manufacturing applications from 90 to 45 days.
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has proposed a landmark amendment to the Drugs Rules, 1945 that would eliminate the requirement for obtaining an import license — commonly known as Form 11 — for drugs brought into India in small quantities for examination, test, or analysis. The proposal, published as a draft gazette notification, replaces the existing licensing framework with an acknowledgement-based system designed to reduce regulatory friction in pharmaceutical research and development.
Under the revised provisions, applicants intending to import drugs for analytical and non-clinical testing purposes would submit a prior intimation form and could proceed with importation based on the acknowledgement generated upon submission. The online intimation system is expected to offer a seamless and instant gateway for stakeholders.
Scope and Exclusions
The simplified procedure will cover the import of all drugs in small quantities for analytical and non-clinical testing, but certain categories will remain outside its ambit. Drugs belonging to the categories of sex hormones, cytotoxic drugs, beta-lactam drugs, biologics containing live microorganisms, and narcotic and psychotropic substances will continue to require prior licensing. This carve-out reflects a risk-based approach, maintaining tighter controls on substances with higher potential for misuse or requiring specialized handling.
Building on Earlier Deregulation
The proposed amendment builds on earlier regulatory reforms. In January 2026, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare amended the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019 to introduce a similar notification-based system for domestic test licenses, allowing companies to manufacture drugs including biologics for analytical and preclinical testing without a license. The current proposal extends that relaxation to imports, creating a more unified regulatory framework for both domestic and cross-border R&D activities.
Additionally, the ministry has halved the processing timeline for reviewing applications to manufacture new drugs or investigational new drugs for Bioavailability/Bioequivalence (BA/BE) studies — from 90 days to 45 days.
Industry and Government Alignment
The deregulation drive aligns with calls from industry leaders. Pankaj Patel, Chairman of Zydus Lifesciences, has publicly advocated for "eliminating the need to obtain every license until a drug reaches the human trial stage." Over recent months, the health ministry has introduced several measures to streamline regulatory processes and improve the ease of doing business for pharmaceutical companies, including waiving animal toxicity studies for formulations with identical excipient composition, introducing intimation-based approval for analytical studies, and creating a specialized cadre to align regulatory reviews with those in developed markets such as the United States and European Union.
Expected Impact
The amendment is expected to significantly reduce the compliance burden on applicants by eliminating licensing requirements for importing small quantities of drugs for testing or R&D purposes. According to the government, this will play a substantial role in deregulating the R&D sector in pharmaceuticals and enable startups and industries to quickly initiate testing or analysis. The initiative is positioned as a major boost to research and innovation in India while facilitating a more efficient and streamlined regulatory process.
The draft notification has been placed in the public domain for stakeholder consultation, with objections and suggestions accepted for 30 days from the date of publication. Submissions may be directed to the Under Secretary (Drugs), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, or emailed to drugsdiv-mohfw[at]gov[dot]in.