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Huge drug imports from China not good

Drug manufacturers want Centre to cut down dependence on imports

Chennai: It is not just the toys, Chinese medicines, especially antibiotics, vitamins and paracetamol have been flooding the Indian market.

India’s over-dependence on China for medicines has prompted Indian Drugs Manufacturers Association (IDMA) to voice its concern about the domestic market asking the Centre to work out a strategy to meet the growing needs of medicines for internal consumption while cutting down dependency on China for imports.

With increasing disease burden – about 80 million cardiac cases, 60 million diabetes and asthma cases and upward trend in hepatitis C cases across the country, there is an urgent need to focus on bulk drugs manufacturing sector, say sources in IDMA.

A bulk of the drugs, particularly antibiotics, Cephalosporin, Vitamins, Aspirin, Paracetamol, Metformin, Renitidine, Ibuprofen, Amoxicillin, Ciprofloxacin, Cefixime, Ofloxacin and Ampilillin are from China.

This over-dependence on one source puts India in a strategically disadvantageous position. The issue is also linked with the future of India’s dominance in generic medicines since the formulation industry depends on Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and dependence on a single country could affect the industry as that country will be deciding the quantity of supply and price, say sources.

A study by the Boston Consulting Group and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) conducted in 2013 claims total imports of APIs and advanced intermediates have risen at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18 % from $800 million in 2004 to $3.4 billion in 2013.

“For antibiotics such as Ofloxacin and Levofloxacin (used to treat infections), India is heavily reliant on imports for both the API as well as the key intermediates. Moreover, most of the imports, over 90 per cent in most cases, are concentrated in China,” the study noted.

Urging the Centre to evolve a strategy to make medicines for internal consumption, IDMA, which met in Mumbai recently, has called for efforts to strengthen the policy environment and address issues that hinder pharma industry’s further development and growth.

( Source : deccan chronicle )
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