Question : Impact of Coronavirus

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

(a) whether the Government is aware of the fact that several salt compositions used to manufacture drugs and medicines in the country are imported from China i.e. around 63 per cent;
(b) whether due to the outbreak of Coronavirus, the imports have been curtailed and the manufacturers of medicines in the country have claimed to have stock to last for 1-2 months; and
(c) if so, the steps being taken by the Government to mitigate the shortage of various salts so as to check the price rise in various basic medicines?

(a): The Indian Pharmaceutical industry is 3rd largest in the world in terms of volume and 14th largest in terms of value. India exported medicines worth US $ 14389 mn in Financial Year 2018-19. India also exported Bulk Drug/Drug Intermediates worth US $ 3911mn in Financial Year 2018-19. However, the country also imports various Bulk Drugs/Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) for producing medicines. Two-thirds of the total imports of Bulk Drugs/ Drug Intermediates is from China. The details of India’s imports of Bulk Drugs/ Drug Intermediates (including from China) are as under:
Year Total imports
(US $ mn) Imports from China
(US$ mn) Percent of Imports from China
2018-19 3560.35 2405.42 67.56%

(b) & (c): Department of Pharmaceuticals has constituted a Committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Eshwara Reddy, Joint Drugs Controller, Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) to address the issue of drug security in the country in the context of novel coronavirus outbreak in China. The committee has observed that the present stock-in-hand of the APIs may be sufficient for 2 to 3 months to manufacture formulations. The Committee has also assessed that there may be impact on import of certain APIs/KSMs which are majorly manufactured in Hubei province of China. Based on the recommendations of the Committee, the department has issued necessary instructions to National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) and State Governments to ensure adequate supply of APIs and formulations at affordable prices in the market and to prevent black-marketing, illegal hoarding, creating artificial shortages in the country. In this regard, Department of Pharmaceuticals has written to DGFT to restrict exports of 13 API and formulations made using these APIs. NPPA has also written to Chief Secretaries of States with copies to Principal Secretaries Health and State Drug Controllers requesting them to closely monitor the production and availability of APIs and formulations to prevent the black marketing and hoarding in their States and UTs as well as to ensure that there is no violation of provisions of Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 with regard to compliance of ceiling prices/ permissible increase in prices of scheduled/ non-scheduled formulations respectively.

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