The Narendra Modi government has decided to give a fresh push to the manufacturing of raw materials for drugs in India, News18 has learnt.
The Department of Pharmaceuticals, under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, has constituted a “technical committee” to assist the empowered committee under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme.
The purpose of establishing the new panel is to provide technical guidance for a scheme aimed at manufacturing crucial raw materials, such as key starting materials, drug intermediates, and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), within India.
The scheme aims to provide financial incentives to boost the domestic manufacturing of bulk drugs and ensure their sustainable domestic supply. Indian drug-makers import more than 80 per cent of their total Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (APIs) or bulk drug requirements from China. The scheme aims to increase the domestic product of these raw materials.
In the 2018-19 fiscal, the Union government told Lok Sabha that the pharmaceutical industry imported bulk drugs and intermediates worth $2.4 billion from China.
Details of the government’s move
The Department of Pharmaceuticals has chosen four members — Dr S Eswara Reddy, joint drugs controller; Chandrashekar Ranga, deputy drugs controller from Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO); Dr Amol Kulkarni, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Pune; and Srinivas Lanka, advisor from pharma export council, Pharmexcil, for the move.
The DOP has allowed these members to “co-opt representatives from similar institutions as special invitees” whenever necessary for giving technical advice. The panel will only give its comments on any technical matter referred to by the Department of Pharmaceuticals.
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