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India needs a comprehensive national policy on brain health and neurological disorders to strengthen awareness, improve access to specialist care, and expand rehabilitation services, according to medical experts.
With cases of stroke, migraine, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, meningitis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on the rise, medical experts warn that brain-neuro disorders are emerging as a major public health challenge. They say a coordinated national strategy is essential to reduce the growing health and economic burden of these conditions.
On the occasion of the World Brain Day observed on July 22, we see the need for a dedicated a national policy for neurological disorders which can facilitate research and funding, said Dr Atampreet Singh, senior director & head at ShardaCare – Healthcity.
India reports several admissions for brain-neuro disorders, positioning it as a hub for clinical trials with access to capable clinicians, heterogeneous population and improved clinical trial infrastructure for neuroscience. This helps create real world data from an Indian context for various brain disorders thus allowing our researchers to formulate India specific guideline on various neurological ailments and stroke management, Dr Singh told Pharmabiz.
We see acute stroke care has made great strides with rapid administration of timely clot dissolving therapy & mechanical thrombectomy in eligible stroke patients. Neuroprotective therapy, stem cells and neural pathways have emerged as avenues. Brain computer interface & robotics guided rehabilitations also hold a lot of promise, he added.
According to Prof. Rajinder Kumar, Principal Director & Unit Head Neurosurgery, Yashoda Medicity, clinical trials are pushing India toward more personalised and evidence-based neuro care. Combined with AI-assisted protocol design, digital recruitment, and expanding domestic pharma-sponsored research, trials are gradually improving faster access to therapies for stroke, epilepsy, and dementia, narrowing the historical lag between global drug launches and their availability to Indian patients.
Conventional stroke therapy is still based on thrombolytics such as tPA and antithrombotics; however, the research pipeline is making significant strides in the development of new-generation reperfusion approaches following the approval of tenecteplase and many other drugs, one-dose thrombolytics, extended treatment time frames, and neuroprotective combinations. A promising development in 2026 was loberamisal, a novel dual-target neuroprotective drug tested in a Phase III trial, given intravenously for 10 days starting within 48 hours of stroke. It showed safety and better functional outcomes at 90 days versus placebo, said Dr Kumar.
Beyond limited programmes for stroke, central nervous system, cancer, and elderly care, similar policy responses are lacking for other brain-neuro disorders. Despite repeated requests, no dedicated national epilepsy policy exists. Alzheimer's or Parkinson's also remain under-addressed in health policy. Making a comprehensive national brain health policy that aligns with WHO's IGAP World Health Organization’s Intersectoral Globalk Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders (IGAP) framework is mandatory, said Dr Kumar.
Dr Prathibha G That, Assistant Professor, Department of Panchakarma, SDMIAH Bengaluru said neurological disorders affect around 40% of the world's population. This begins from minor headaches leading to migraine, stroke, dementia, epilepsy among others. On this Brain Health Day, the need of the hour is prioritising early intervention with faster diagnosis to prevent disability. There is a need to strengthening community-based services closer to home. From a global action front, neurological awareness must lead to measurable healthcare policy changes. Here there is a need to consider Ayurveda as may have a different type of treatments for the post recovery of patients.
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