How India is Pharmacy of The World?

India is supplying 80% HIV drugs to global community and meeting 62 per cent of the global demand for vaccines. Indian Pharmaceutical Industry is supplying 45% medicine of whole demand of America and 25% of whole demand of United Kingdom. India has become the world's largest producer of generic medicines, accounting for 20 per cent of the total global production.

India has so far supplied medicines to 210 countries in the fight against COVID-19, which shows India's generosity, despite the fact that the country's government has taken urgent measures to prevent and treat the disease on a national scale. During global lock down India supplied medicine to every country of the world to save the life of human being. During this initiative few team members died due to corona virus infection but India neverever stopped supply.

We are manufacturing approximately 35% essential raw materials only because of government negligence since very long time. Pharmaceutical Industry is 65% dependant on China. Most important thing for Indian Pharmaceutical Industry that they worked day and night fatigueless to reach the title of Pharmacy of world.

Manufacturing medicine is very challenging job but Indian Pharmaceutical Industry overcome in a very short span of time. Rab Di Meher a national NGO who organizes Pharma Ratna Award every year, has conducted survey on 1200 pharmaceutical formulation manufactures as how soon we can start manufacturing approximately all the raw materials. Result is very optimist. Manufacturing car is a tedious job but refining petrol is not a big deal. Similarly manufacturing medicine is challenging because human being consumes medicine directly hence there is chance of death also but raw material is not directly consumed by human being hence raw material tested on animal and once raw material is safe on animal then it gets approval.

Industry require only conducive and supporting atmosphere where there is chances of return on investment. Raw material factories cause pollution hence it can be established outside the residential area in every state. We require chemical factories also to manufacture Excipients and other ingredients. These are basic materials to manufacture raw materials. We require big containers and packing materials for both raw materials and chemicals.

Finally it is clear that if government will support and give approvals on fast track then Indian pharmaceutical industry players are ready to invest in raw materials, chemicals and packing materials factories immediately. This initiative will generate approximately 5-10 million jobs directly and indirectly. Right now Indian Pharmaceutical Industry is giving approximately 10 million jobs globally.

India and china both have some plus and some minus. China gets chemicals, excipients and government support easily. Chinese companies are getting electricity, water, labour, regulatory approvals and financial support on very minimum interest rate. They get lands and approvals on fastest track. We know the speed of China very well.

They are very strong in transportation of goods in a very affordable rates because border of china are connected with 14 countries. As the most populous country in the world and third largest in area, China also has the largest number of neighbours (14) sharing its 22,000km land borders namely: North Korea, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. This is the reason Chinese raw materials are very much affordable and Indian Pharmaceutical Companies remain interested to buy from china.

India has 15,106 kilometers of land borders and a coastline of about 7,516 kilometers. Only 5 out of 29 Indian states have no international border or coastal line. Those long borders are shared with seven countries — China, Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. Obviously India cannot give affordable price for transportation of goods. Basic materials to manufacture raw materials such as chemical factories and Excipients factories are very few in India.

Chinese raw materials manufacturing factories remains operative 24 hours where as Indian raw material factories runs in single shift as our price is not so much competitive because of unavailability of chemicals and Excipients and costly transpiration costs.

India speaks English and in India there are more than 1 million registered pharmacists. Apart from this, there are huge no of pharmacy colleges across all states of India. China faces language barrier.

Indian government should plan raw materials factories along with factories of chemicals and Excipients on fast track basis by providing them free land, free electricity, financial support without cap on minimal interest rate, fast regulatory approvals. Indian government should also plan raw materials and finished products factories outside India as extended hands to overcome transportation costs and further regulatory approvals.

India should invite global players to invest in Pharma sectors and India should give assurance for professional support without corruption. Right now there is huge corruption and getting approval from government offices is not easy.