LAHORE: Pakistani pharmaceutical companies import more than 50 percent of their raw material from India and China to produce medicines, according to the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).
“A big chunk of the raw material used in locally produced medicines is imported from India since our neighboring country has an established industry of raw materials for medicines,” Khwaja Shahzeb Akram, head of the pharmaceutical committee at the FPCCI told Arab News.
The material bought from India is cheaper than any other part of the world, he said.
According to industry experts, the trade has the nod of Pakistan government, which despite the estranged relations between the two nuclear-capable south Asian neighbors, prefers to rely on its arch rival than revive its own industry.
“Pakistan government allows to import medicines from India that are not manufactured in the country,” Akram said.
Pakistan imported medicines worth Rs1.37 billion from India between January and June 2019, officials of federal health department revealed in a recent meeting of Senate’s Standing Committee on National Health Services Regulations and Coordination.
The meeting was also informed that the imported medicines were lifesaving drugs, including anti-venom vaccines, anti-rabies shots and other tablets and syrups.
“In the committee meeting, employees of the federal health department acknowledged that medicines were being imported from India … The issue was raised by Senator Rehman Malik who asked for a list of imported items. The department officials said they would provide details of imported medicines during the next meeting and the matter was deferred,” Senator Dr. Asad Ashraf, the committee member, told Arab News.
He also added that Senator Malik had asked the government to make it mandatory for Pakistani pharmaceutical companies to produce snake venom serum and anti-rabies vaccines to meet the shortage, instead of importing these items from India.
“India has an established medicine raw material industry which unfortunately Pakistan lacks. We are dependent on imported raw material for medicines,” said Amjad Ali Jawa, former chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association. “We import different vaccines and life-saving drugs, mostly related to cancer and don’t have an alternative option,” he added.
Given the low cost of production of medicines in India and the fact that Pakistan’s Ministry of Health often allows the multinational corporations (MNCs) to increase the price of their drugs at will, huge quantities of medicines including antibiotics, analgesics, sedatives, tranquilizers, hormones, anti-hypertensive and contraceptives are smuggled into Pakistan from India, according to the Pharmaceutical Journal, though it is difficult to get reliable statistics in this connection.
The volume of import of medicine from India in 2018 was much higher, said Akram.
Indian drugs continue to flood Pakistani markets despite diplomatic row
Indian drugs continue to flood Pakistani markets despite diplomatic row
- Pakistan imported medicine from India worth Rs1.37 bn in 2019, Senate committee told
- Raw material for medicines, life saving drugs, vaccine for cancer top the list of imports
Pakistan deputy PM speaks with Iranian FM as Saudi Arabia intercepts missiles and drones
- Ishaq Dar expresses concern over evolving regional situation as both officials agree to remain in contact
- Pakistan earlier reminded Tehran of its mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia during diplomatic outreach
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday amid escalating tensions in the Gulf, including recent missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia that were intercepted by the Kingdom’s air defenses.
The call comes as Islamabad remains in contact with both Tehran and Gulf states to prevent the widening Iran conflict from spilling further across the region, particularly after attempted strikes on Saudi territory, a sensitive development for Pakistan, which signed a mutual defense pact with the Kingdom last year.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Dar raised concerns about the evolving regional situation during the conversation.
“Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar spoke this evening with the Foreign Minister of Iran, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The DPM/FM expressed concern over the evolving regional situation. The two agreed to remain in touch on the developments,” it added.
The ministry did not share details of the conversation, though it came amid fast-moving developments in the region, with Saudi Arabia saying its air defenses intercepted multiple missiles and drones early on Friday.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s adviser on political affairs Rana Sanaullah said Pakistan was in contact with Iran to discourage attacks on Gulf countries and prevent misunderstandings.
“Such attacks should not be carried out from Iran’s side,” he told Geo TV.
Prior to that, the deputy prime minister told Pakistan’s Senate that Islamabad had engaged both Iran and Saudi Arabia at the outset of Iran’s retaliation in the region, reminding Tehran of its defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and conveying assurances from Riyadh that Saudi territory would not be used against Iran.
Pakistan says its administration is striving to end the conflict, though the United States-Israeli strikes on Iran, which triggered the war and led to its spillover, have only intensified.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday some countries had begun mediation efforts but insisted Tehran would defend its sovereignty.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” on his Truth Social platform as the confrontation shows little sign of easing.
