India needs to create a conducive atmosphere for production of bulk drugs to cut dependence on imports from China, a senior government official said in New Delhi on Tuesday.
“We need to create a conducive atmosphere for bulk drugs in the country. We have to reduce our dependence on China for bulk drugs,” Pharmaceuticals Secretary V.K. Subburaj said.
He was speaking on the sidelines of an event organised by think-tank, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), on India’s growing dependence on imports in the area of bulk drugs.
Stressing on the importance of focusing on domestic bulk drug production, Mr. Subburaj said, “Pharma sector has grown well in our country. It is in the sector of bulk drugs and medical devices where we are dependent on imports.”
The country’s dependence on China for bulk drugs is very high but it can come out of it, he added.
“We have to ensure that we don’t depend on a single source. In 10 years time we should be able to say we are not dependent on anyone for bulk drugs,” Mr. Subburaj said.
National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Hyderabad will have a bulk drug research and development centre to take care of bulk drugs, he added.
The government is also planning many other initiatives to further strengthen the pharma sector, Mr. Subburaj said.
Last month, Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar had told Parliament that India was largely dependent on China for imports of drug ingredients of 12 essential drugs which are in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM).
The Minister had said that the government has decided to work out a package of interventions and concessions required to build domestic production capabilities in this regard and examine the cost implication.
A decision has been taken to set up a Committee of Secretaries under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Department of Health Research to study and identify the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) of critical importance, Mr. Kumar had said.
