Lok Sabha Question No. 3752 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-17
Subject: Impact of Coronavirus
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Kirti Vardhan Singh, Mala Roy

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

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3752 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 17 th  March, 2020

## Impact of Coronavirus

## 3752.  SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH: SHRIMATI MALA ROY:

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?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS (SHRI D. V. SADANANDA GOWDA)

(a): The Indian Pharmaceutical industry is 3 rd largest in the world in terms of volume and 14 th 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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