Pharma City To See Rs 20k Cr Investments From Bulk Drug Players: BDMA National Prez

HYDERABAD: Telangana is likely to see an investment of about Rs 20,000 crore from local bulk drug players once Pharma City is ready, said R.K. Agrawal, president of the industry body Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association (BDMA).

“This Rs 20,000 crore investment is just from the local API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) players. There are about 10 bulk drug clusters in Hyderabad and standalone units in some districts. Now, new units are not allowed. More units will come or will expand with the opening of Pharma City,” he explained.

Hyderabad is a hub for bulk drugs, also called APIs. These are produced from raw materials. APIs are the main ingredients of medicine.

Agrawal said Telangana had 214 US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approved manufacturing facilities, the highest in a state. This number is set to increase significantly as more players will look to set up facilities after the Pharma City, the largest pharma manufacturing cluster in the making, gets operational, he said.

India imports some key starting materials and raw materials for APIs from China but is a net exporter of the bulk drugs. “India is able to provide quality drugs at affordable prices. We have changed the affordability landscape. We have been able to supply antiretroviral drugs at one-tenth of the original prices,” he said about the industry contribution.

The bulk drugs industry is estimated to be between $10-15 billion and is growing at 8-10 per cent. It is providing direct employment to about four lakh people in addition to significant indirect employment, he said.