New Delhi, April 24 -- India is planning a sweeping overhaul of its drug regulatory system by unifying central and state licensing, approvals, and compliance into a single digital platform, according to two government officials and documents reviewed by Mint.

At the centre of the plan is a proposed interoperable Digital Drugs Regulatory System (DDRS) being developed by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). The regulator is preparing to invite proposals from IT services firms to build and run the platform, the documents show.

The DDRS is designed to streamline complex processes-from registration and clinical trial approvals to import-export licensing and supply chain traceability-by bringing central and state regulator...