The
Pharmaceuticals industry in India today is one of the largest
and most advanced and well organised among the developing
countries. The Industry manufactures bulk drugs belonging
to several major therapeutic groups requiring various manufacturing
processes and has developed excellent facilities for production
of all dosage forms like tablets, capsules, liquids, ointments,
orals and injectibles. This achievement is strengthened by
an assurance with regard to quality of the products. Over
the last several years, policy inputs have been directed towards
promoting the growth of the industry and in helping it to
achieve a broad base in terms of the large range of the products
and technologies needed to produce them from as basic stage
as possible.
At
present, there are about 325 large and medium scale
industrial companies including 50 Multinational Companies
(MNCs) and about 11,000 small scale enterprises in
operation which form the core of the Pharmaceutical Industry
in the country. These units produce varieties of formulations
i.e. medicines ready for consumption by patients and about
350 bulk drugs i.e. chemicals having therapeutic value
and used for production of formulations. Today, India is in
a position to fulfill the country's major requirement of the
bulk drugs and almost all the demands for formulations. The
distribution of end products are carried out with well organised
channel of chemist shops through out the country.
The
production of Drugs and Pharmaceutical Industry is growing
constantly. Just before five years from now in 1999-2000 the
production of bulk drug was worth Rs 37.77 billion and formulation
was at Rs.158 billion which has been estimated to grow at
Rs. 92.49 billion for bulk drugs production and Rs. 316 billion
for formulations production during current year.
The export of Indian pharmaceutical industry has been estimated
an annual volume of Rs 146 billion for the year 2003-2004.
The export value is also increasing at an average rate of
more than 17% over the years and the pharmaceutical industry
is the net positive foreign exchange earner sector of industry
against worldwide competition.
Year
Export
Value (Rs. in Million)
Growth(%)
1999-00
72,302
17.50
2000-01
87,298
20.60
2001-02
1,04,759
20.06
2002-03
1,19,254
13.84
2003-04*
1,46,000
18.31
The
country has unique feature of export of pharmaceutical products
to developed as well as developing countries at about 200
destinations.
Pharmaceutical
Industry in Gujarat
The
history of Pharmaceutical industry in Gujarat dates back to
setting up small pharmaceutical unit by Alembic group at Vadodara.
Today the organised sector units like Sarabhai Chemicals,
Cadilla Groups, Torrent Group, Synbiotics, Cynamide India,
Hoechst, Abbott Lab (I) Ltd, Atul, Rallis and others has established
large production facilities in the state.
At present, Gujarat accounts for about 3267 registered pharmaceutical
industrial units involving capital investment of Rs. 75 billion
mainly in small and medium scale sector. The State has set
up mechanism of monitoring the investment proposals filed
in various sectors of industry in Gujarat. According to monitoring
data at present 348 large scale projects involving an investment
of Rs 31 billion which have been commissioned/concluded in
the Pharmaceutical Sector and 36 large scale projects envisaging
an investment of Rs. 3.81 billion are under various stages
of implementation in the state. The Pharmaceutical Industry
of State substantially contributes in production as well as
domestic consumption and export basket of the country's Drug
Sector.
In order to achieve targeted goal, the pharmaceutical industry
in Gujarat also needs to engage in strategic partnerships
with foreign partners to realise and capitalize the latent
potential and to bridge the gap of technology. The existing
technology needs to be upgraded with the help of foreign partners.
In view of the accelerated growth of consumption and export,
this sector of industry in India/Gujarat provides large scope
for foreign collaborations in Process development, Technology
Tie-ups with special emphasis on Cleaner Technology, Joint
Research & Development, Waste Water and Solid Management,
Buy Back Arrangement, Market Access, Advanced stage Equipment
purchase and Technical assistance.
