The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved another reappointment of Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi as Drugs Controller (India) at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), the government confirmed on February 28, keeping India’s apex drug regulator in place even as the search for a permanent successor remains unresolved more than a year after his retirement.
The government has been forthright about the vacancy risk. In an office memorandum, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told the ACC that “keeping the position vacant would adversely impact the country’s effort to develop a world-class pharmaceutical ecosystem consisting of components from production of affordable quality generics to latest technology-based products like CAR-Ts and gene therapies for India and the world.”
Raghuvanshi first assumed charge as DCGI on February 23, 2023, transitioning from his role as Secretary-cum-Scientific Director of the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission. A veteran of the pharmaceutical industry with leadership stints at Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Ranbaxy, his original appointment was widely seen as an effort to bring private-sector technical expertise to a role traditionally filled by career bureaucrats or internal promotees.
His tenure has been characterised by significant regulatory activity. His administration pushed through the revised Schedule M norms, mandating Indian factories align with Good Manufacturing Practices closer to USFDA standards. Following global reports of contaminated cough syrups, Raghuvanshi also oversaw a nationwide crackdown involving the inspection of approximately 1,100 manufacturing units and the issuance of over 850 corrective action notices. The CDSCO under his watch also launched a digital dashboard to track drugs failing quality tests.
The health ministry, in its communication to the ACC, described him as an “asset” whose “in-depth knowledge of industry, government regulatory systems and international pharmaceutical dynamics” made continuity imperative. “Under his able leadership, substantial reforms have been brought out in CDSCO. At present, further regulatory reforms are being undertaken in CDSCO, which include global benchmarking, automation of the regulatory processes and alignment with global standards,” it said.
For India’s pharmaceutical industry, the world’s third largest by volume and a major supplier of generic medicines globally, who occupies the DCGI chair carries significant weight. Decisions on drug approvals, clinical trial authorisations, import licences, and quality enforcement all flow through the office. The longer the permanent appointment remains elusive, the more the government appears to be betting on continuity over competitive selection.
