India Lists 38 APIs , Plans to End Dependence on China

New Delhi: A meeting to discuss the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) industry was organized yesterday in NITI Aayog under the chairmanship of NITI CEO Amitabh Kant. The Department of Pharmaceuticals made a detailed presentation on the history and status of the API industry and the challenges faced by it and the various options available to make India a powerhouse in Key Starting Materials, Intermediates, and Active Pharmaceuticals Ingredients.

The APIs, also known as bulk drugs, are the key raw material used for manufacturing medicines. For instance, paracetamol is the API for Crocin.

DoP shared its vision and recent efforts in promoting bulk drug parks in the country. Issues related to environmental clearances were discussed in detail and the industry was promised fast approvals.

Principal Secretary (Industry), Government of Telangana, explained various incentives offered by the Government of Telangana and invited the industry to set up manufacturing units in Hyderabad Pharma City.

Leaders of the pharma industry shared their perspective on the situation and suggested various measures to be taken by the government.

The list is likely to contain the fermentation process-based drugs such as crucial antibiotics penicillin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, tetracycline and essential vitamin and hormonal pills. It’s a market that China dominates across the globe.

Amitabh Kant exhorted the industry to become internationally competitive and go for a global scale of operations. He assured that the Union Government will take all necessary steps to support the industry in its endeavours.

Secretaries from the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP); Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC); Department of Health Research; and senior officers from the Department of Expenditure, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, NITI Aayog, Department of Pharmaceuticals, and CDSCO attended the meeting. Representatives of the pharma industry, including Kiran Majumdar Shah (Biocon), Pankaj Patel (Zydus), Satish Reddy (Dr Reddy Laboratories), and senior officers of Sun Pharma, Aurobindo, Jubilant Life Sciences, Cipla, Mylan, Alembic, and Themis also attended the meeting. Presidents Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association, Indian Drug Manufacturers Association and Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance were also present.

Image Courtesy: Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals