The Centre has appointed Rajeev Raghuvanshi as the new Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the recommendation submitted by the Union Public Service Commission to appoint Raghuvanshi to the post. He will be taking on the role from Dr PBN Prasad, who has been presiding over the role in a temporary manner until February 28, 2023.

Raghuvanshi is a highly accomplished pharmaceutical professional with expertise in dosage form design and development. He had been serving as the secretary-cum-science director at the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC). He completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from IIT-BHU, Varanasi and his PhD from the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi.

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Raghuvanshi worked for seven years at the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, before joining Ranbaxy Laboratories, where he worked for 12 years. At Ranbaxy, he was involved in the development, registration, and launch of new drug delivery systems (NDDS), generics, and branded generics for various global markets. He also worked at Dr Reddy's Laboratories for 11 years. During this time, he successfully led the CMC team to get six products approved in the first review cycle by USFDA. His work in DRL was rewarded with multiple awards from the pharmaceutical giant.

Raghuvanshi's expertise lies in pharmaceutical innovation, and he has been involved in the development of different types of drugs. Some of these drugs include oral solids and liquids, topicals, injections, nasal sprays and more. He and his teams have developed over 200 products that are currently being sold in India, the US, Europe, and other emerging markets. He holds 14 US patents, more than 250 published PCTs and Indian patents, and has authored over 25 publications in peer-reviewed journals and co-authored six chapters in various books.

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Raghuvanshi has also been a visiting faculty member at NIPER-Hyderabad and IIT-BHU, and he has taught students at NIPER-Mohali. He is a regular speaker at international and national conferences on pharmaceutical innovation.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)