Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi to be new Drugs Controller General of India

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of appointing Dr. Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi as the new Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). Mr. Raghuvanshi, who is the Secretary and Scientific Director of The Indian Pharmacopeia Commission (IPC), has been given the charge of DCGI for a three-year period ending on February 28, 2025.

Former DCGI V.G. Somani and Jai Prakash, joint directors at IPC, were also contenders for the top post at the drug watchdog. The DCGI is an important post as it has a final say on the regulatory approvals for drugs and vaccines in India. The apex body is also responsible for ensuring standards for drugs which are used in domestic and export consumption. Mr. Somani’s three-year tenure expired in August last year, and the government had extended his term by three months, twice consecutively earlier. Mr. Raghuvanshi assumes charge when the Indian drug manufacturing eco-system is under scrutiny for multiple cases of allegedly contaminated products, including cough syrups and eye drops.

Mr. Raghuvanshi received his Masters in Pharmaceuticals from the Institute of Technology at the Banaras Hindu University. He received his doctorate in formulation development from the Delhi-based National Institute of Immunology (NII). 

He worked in the private pharma sector for over 20 years before assuming the top post in IPC. 

He started his career in the private sector as a research associate at the Dabur Research Foundation in 1989. He later worked as a staff scientist in NII for over eight years before shifting gears to the private sector again and assuming the post of Director in Ranbaxy Research Labs. Before joining the government-run IPC as Secretary in February 2021, Mr. Raghuvanshi was leading a research and development team at Dr. Reddy’s Labs for nearly ten years. His team was involved in the development of oral modified release Novel Drug Delivery Systems (NDDS) formulations, nasal formulations, depot injections, nanotechnology and so on.

After former DCGI V.G. Somani was not given an extension of term, P.B.N. Prasad, a senior official from Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) which houses DCGI, was made the interim charge for the DCGI post for a week.