Indian Pharma API still largely dependent on China: Ministry

In the ever-evolving tapestry of pharmaceutical commerce, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has cast a luminous spotlight upon salient developments within the domain of bulk drug and drug intermediates importation.

A disclosure of import dynamics to the venerable Parliament unveils a conspicuous escalation, both quantitatively and valorously, during the antecedent financial annum.

This ascent is notably underscored by a discernible trajectory of augmented importation from sundry nations, with China prominently featuring in this pharmacological odyssey.

The solitary sojourn of importation from the formidable pharmaceutical dominion of China has borne witness to a commendable surge.

Specifically, the metrics have transmogrified from 264,582 metric tons, commanding a valuation of ?23,273 crores in the fiscal convolution of 2021-22, to a resounding augmentation of 300,120 metric tons, emblematic of a fiscal edifice valued at ?25,551 crores in the ensuing fiscal ballet of 2022-23.

In response to sagacious queries proffered by the erudite Members of Parliament, including the discerning Goddeti Madhavi, the sagacious Margani Bharat, the venerable N. Reddeppa, and the perspicacious Pocha Brahmananda Reddy, the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers proffered elucidations imbued with strategic sagacity.

Notably, the minister underscored that the preponderance of bulk drug and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) imports is necessitated by perspicuous economic considerations. Furthermore, the incontrovertible reality that China stands as a preeminent global purveyor of Key Starting Material (KSM) and APIs articulates the rationale behind such dependencies.

In a proactive stance, the Ministry expounded upon measures meticulously devised to ameliorate the nation's reliance on extraneous sources, particularly accentuating the imperative to fortify indigenous manufacturing capabilities.

Endeavors to incentivize domestic production manifest through initiatives such as the opulent Scheme for the Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks, a monumental undertaking endowed with a fiscal largesse of ?3,000 crores, spanning the fiscal chasm betwixt 2020-2021 and 2024-25.

The laudable trajectory of indigenous pharmaceutical exports, culminating in a pecuniary coda of ?37,853 crores in the fiscal foray of 2022-23, underscores India's ascendancy within the global pharmaceutical pantheon.

Simultaneously, the imprimatur bestowed upon the establishment of Bulk Drug Parks in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh signifies a strategic foray toward fortifying self-reliance and propelling India into a paradigm of pharmaceutical self-sufficiency.

This collaborative symphony orchestrated between the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers and the Health Ministry aptly reflects a holistic overture toward fortifying the pharmaceutical sinews of the nation.