Lok Sabha Question No. 945 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-22
Subject: Import of Life Saving Drugs
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: MOHANBHAI KALYANJIBHAI KUNDARIYA, KIRTI (JHA) AZAD

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICALS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 945

## TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 22 nd  November, 2016

## Import of Life Saving Drugs

945. SHRI KUNDARIYA MOHAN BHAI KALYANJI BHAI: SHRI KIRTI AZAD:

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

- (a)  whether  life-saving  drugs  for  treatment  of  cancer,  HIV  and  cardiac failures are likely to become costlier and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has withdrawn the exemption on customs duty on certain bulk drugs and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the pharma industry is unhappy with this move;
- (d)  whether  withdrawal  of  exemption  pertains  to  customs  duties  which  is likely to impact imported drugs and those manufactured in SEZs and if so, the reaction of the Government thereto; and
- (e) whether the Make in India strategy will help to solve this problem?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS; MINISTRY OF SHIPPING AND MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS (SHRI MANSUKH L. MANDAVIYA)

- (a): No, Madam.
- (b):  Yes,  Madam.  The  details  of  the  bulk  drugs  on  which  Customs  duty exemption has been removed by the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) is given in the attached statement.

(c) & (d): National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has received few representations  from  the  Pharma  Associations/Companies  requesting  for allowing commensurate increase in drug prices to absorb the increase in cost on account of withdrawal of exemptions on customs duty.

(e):  The  withdrawal  of  exemptions  on  customs  duty  on  certain  bulk drugs/formulations by the Government (CBEC) was done to provide a level playing  field  to  the  domestic  manufacturers  to  make  Make-in-India  a success.

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## STATEMENT  REFFERED  TO  IN  PART  (b)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.  945  REGARDING  IMPORT  OF  LIFE  SAVING  DRUGS  TO  BE ANSWERED ON 22.11.2016.

|   Sl. No. | Description of drugs                          |   Sl. No. | Description of drugs                       |
|-----------|-----------------------------------------------|-----------|--------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Allopurinol                                   |        38 | Infliximab                                 |
|         2 | Amiodarone                                    |        39 | Interlukin-3                               |
|         3 | Amifostine                                    |        40 | Didanosine                                 |
|         4 | Atracurium besylate                           |        41 | Indinavir                                  |
|         5 | Carbidopa with Levodopa                       |        42 | Nelfinavir                                 |
|         6 | Cefoperazone                                  |        43 | Stavudine                                  |
|         7 | Ceftizoxime                                   |        44 | Abacavir sulphate                          |
|         8 | Cefpirome                                     |        45 | Lopinavir                                  |
|         9 | Dacarbazine                                   |        46 | Tenofovir Disoproxil                       |
|        10 | Desmopressin                                  |        47 | Cisplatin                                  |
|        11 | Dobutamine                                    |        48 | Dinazole                                   |
|        12 | Disodium Pamidronate                          |        49 | Doxorubicin                                |
|        13 | Gemcitabine                                   |        50 | Etoposide                                  |
|        14 | Ifosfamide                                    |        51 | Flutamide                                  |
|        15 | Interferon alpha- 2b/interferon alpha NL(LNS) |        52 | Flutamide                                  |
|        16 | Ketamine                                      |        53 | Ondansetran                                |
|        17 | Levodopa (L-Dopa)                             |        54 | Paclitaxel                                 |
|        18 | Lamivudine                                    |        55 | Tamoxifen citrate                          |
|        19 | Letrozole                                     |        56 | Exemestane                                 |
|        20 | Leuprolide Acetate                            |        57 | Recombinant Human                          |
|        21 | Mercaptopurine                                |        58 | Rasburicase                                |
|        22 | Methyl Prednisolone                           |        59 | Posaconazole                               |
|        23 | Mitomycin                                     |        60 | Abciximab                                  |
|        24 | Netilmicin                                    |        61 | Anti-Rabies Normal Human immunoglobulin    |
|        25 | Naloxone                                      |        62 | Anti-D Immunoglobulin                      |
|        26 | Nitroglycerine                                |        63 | Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)         |
|        27 | Micronised Progesterone or Injection          |        64 | Filgrastim / Molgramostim (G- CSF/GM- CSF) |
|        28 | Pilocarpine                                   |        65 | Imatinib Mesilate                          |
|        29 | Podophyllotoxin                               |        66 | Irinotecan                                 |
|        30 | Piperacillin                                  |        67 | Nalorphine                                 |
|        31 | Pralidoxime                                   |        68 | Procarbazine                               |
|        32 | Prazosin                                      |        69 | Ritonavir                                  |
|        33 | Streptokinase and Streptodomase preparations  |        70 | Rivastigmine                               |

|   34. | Tissue Plaaminogen Activator                                         | 71.   | Rituximab   |
|-------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|-------|-------------|
|    35 | Recombinant human Erythropoietin                                     | 72.   | Saquinavir  |
|    36 | Lopinavir plus Ritonavir (co-formulation of Lopinavir and Ritonavir) | 73.   | Trastuzumab |
|    37 | Capecitabine                                                         |       |             |

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