ISLAMABAD: The federal government has been asked to establish Pharma Export Council to increase the annual exports to $5 billion in next five years.
The demand was raised by a delegation of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Industry (PPMA) led by its President Zahid Saeed, who met Federal Minister for Industries and Production Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi the other day.
The minister vowed that the government will support the pharmaceutical industry and his ministry will actively play its role to strengthen the pharmaceutical industry and to achieve high level of exports. He said that pharmaceutical industry is producing high quality essential drugs at affordable prices.
Jatoi said that technologically strong and self-reliant national pharmaceutical industry cannot only play a key role in promoting and sustaining development in the vital field of medicine in the country but is also well set to take on the international markets. He said that Pakistan pharmaceutical industry has a huge potential as local medicines were best in price and quality.
The delegation informed the minister about the ill-advised policies of the government and undue interference by the National Health Services Ministry, which was causing serious hurdles in the way of growth of the pharma industry.
The PPMA said with the present non-conducive policies of the government, the pharma industry could not achieve its “Vision-2020” for increasing medicines’ exports from $200 million to $5 billion on an annual basis. It said that the exports of pharma industry stood at $250 million in 2012 which had decreased to $160 million in 2015. The association also demanded to make Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) an autonomous body.
