Question : Drug Import and Export

Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state:

(a) the details regarding the quantity and cost of import and export of medicines/drugs during each of the last three years and the current year, country-wise;
(b) whether the country is dependent on imports particularly from China to meet the heavy demand of essential medicines and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients;
(c) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and
(d) the measures taken by the Government to encourage Indian Pharmaceutical companies to increase their production so as to reduce the dependency on imports and also to promote export of medicines/ drugs?

(a): The details of quantity and cost of import and export of medicines/drugs during each of the last three years and the current year, major country-wise is as following :

DRUG FORMULATIONS, BIOLOGICALS Import data from 2016-2019:

Country 2016-17
Volume (in Kgs) 2016-17
(Value in US $) 2017-18
Volume (in Kgs) 2017-18
(Value in US $) 2018-19
Volume (in Kgs) 2018-19
(Value in US $) 2019-20
Volume (in Kgs)
(April 19-Dec 19) 2019-20
(Value in US $)
(April 19-Dec 19)
USA 457463 285890072 595831 309482618 683589 270175979 722982 232435316
Germany 553743 232268654 842317 207469300 937470 200861663 750863 149684304
France 224924 141889389 227511 122286786 401566 131668335 525783 110950747
China 800533 135207004 1292226 128771468 1704937 149498662 1495056 147294699
Switzerland 111900 105552151 194362 132665826 521474 302047568 509253 219759657
Total Imports from all countries 4325475 1662175762 9140935 1840778441 19030788 2018563123 17914366 1767129089


DRUG FORMULATIONS, BIOLOGICALS Export data from 2016-2019:

Country 2016-17
Volume (in Kgs) 2016-17
(Value in US $) 2017-18
Volume (in Kgs) 2017-18
(Value in US $) 2018-19
Volume (in Kgs) 2018-19
(Value in US $) 2019-20
Volume (in Kgs)
(April 19-Dec 19) 2019-20
(Value in US $)
(April 19-Dec 19)
USA 72169919 5057829263 67492681 4601523089 55630576 5327205621 40309985 43736750242
UK 18810063 439431269 13772256 454450341 11325510 524317178 6608351 329074941
South Africa 8613140 389027509 8738119 479530849 8441085 525454816 5170803 392701354
China 354846 23178436 520470 26769082 667317 33152930 342458 31007724
Total Exports to all countries 352124554 12666440148 320564438 12909093200 307467690 14388794412 188713934 12017224892
(Source: DGCIS Kolkata)

(b) & (c):As per Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) Kolkata, during the year 2018-19, the share of China in the total bulk drugs/APIs imported into the country was approximately 67 per cent. Some of these bulk drugs/APIs are also used for manufacturing essential medicines. The imports from China are mainly due to economic considerations. The details of India’s imports of Bulk Drugs/ Drug Intermediates and Drug Formulations (including from China) are as under:

Import of Pharmaceutical products
Item Imports during 2018-19 (In US $ mn) Imports from China during 2018-19
(US $ mn) Percent of Imports from China
Bulk Drug, Drug Intermediate 3560.3 2405.42 67.56%
Drug Formulations, Biologicals 2018.56 149.49 7.40%

(d): The policies formulated by Government from time to time are designed to minimize country’s dependence on imports and to give fillip to indigenous manufacturing. In this direction, with the objective to ensure drug security in the country by increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of domestic pharmaceutical industry the Department of Pharmaceuticals has prepared an umbrella scheme for Development of Pharmaceuticals Industry with the following sub-schemes: (a) Assistance to Bulk Drug Industry for Common Facility Centre; (b) Assistance to Medical Device Industry for Common Facility Centre; (c) Pharmaceuticals Technology Upgradation Assistance Scheme (PTUAS); (d) Assistance to Pharmaceutical Industry for Common Facilities; and (e) Pharmaceutical Promotion Development Scheme (PPDS).

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