........Out of 16 new drugs discovered / developed in India, 11 drugs are from Central Drug Research Institute, an achievement which is only a part of a bigger success story. Established at a time when the lndian pharma industry was almost non-existent, the institute started with a mandate covering a broader objective. This institute has played a crucial role in nation building on atleast four major fronts: (i) policy initiatives for the development of Indian pharmaceutical industry, (ii) development of new drugs and process technologies for commercial production, (iii) consultancy to pharmaceutical industry, and (iv) development of trained manpower for drug research.

Inaugurated on 17th February, 1951, the CDRI had its beginning at a time when the pharma industry in India was almost nonexistent. It was, then, the only facility of its kind and therefore it was called upon to play a much bigger and diverse role than mere research. Its broad charter covered new drug research, process technology development, consultancy to industry, analytical and testing services, and information service to industry and human resource development.

Since inception the CDRI has fulfilled three most important roles viz.(i) development of new drugs for country's family welfare and healthcare needs, viz. fertility control and tropical infections; (ii) development of alternative and economical routes for the preparation of known drugs; and (iii) Ph.D level advance training in drug research, in addition to the trainings provided to sponsored candidates from industry and academia in a variety of disciplines.

New drug research programme pursued by CDRI is significant because it primarily focussed on problems relevant to the national health and family welfare needs. And this thrust continues even today, though some internationally important problem areas have been added as thrust areas in the last few years, namely, aging related disorders (Memory loss, osteoporosis etc.), metabolic disorders, liver disorders, wounds, ulcers etc.

Aging related problems are fast overtaking the Indian population, and are expected to become major health problems in India in not too distant a future. The vast knowledgebase on tropical infections created as a result of CDRI's research provides valuable resource for the future research programmes at least in some of these areas.

The CDRI has also played a lead role in the development of capability in new drug research in India. Over the years, CDRI has established expertise in all aspects of drug research from the discovery of lead molecules to bioevaluation, product quality control, technology development, regulatory pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, toxicity testing and clinical trials. CDRI's efforts in new drug research, in fact, established the first school of medicinal chemistry research in India.