Islamabad : Following trade ban on India in the wake of Pahalgam incident, Pakistan\s pharma industry is looking for alternative markets for imports of raw material and a number of critical medicines. Pakistan was meeting almost 50 % of raw material needs for pharma industry from India. It also included imports of a number of critical medicines particularly needed for cancer, oncology patients and with sudden ban on trade with India this window is no more available).
“We are rushing to find new markets for import of raw materials — API and Iran could be a promising market alternate to India” Chaudhary Ansar Farooq , PPMA ex chairman and CEC member said while talking to NEWSMAN here on Monday. He held a meeting with some Iranian delegation in his office for imports of API to meet needs of his industry when he spoke to this scribe. Chaudhary Ansar Farooq said ” I am working closely with Iranian companies for import of API to meet my needs.
Ayesha T Haq , Pharma Bureau OICCI, Executive Director , said “API production is completely different to the production of medicines. Different companies produce different API. Most of Pakistan‘s API comes from China. After the last issue with Indian imports, reliance on Indian API has been greatly reduced. That said there is still a significant amount of API and life-saving drugs that come from India including anti-venoms, anti rabies and oncology products.
Huge investments are needed in Pakistan to start production of API and it will take at least 5 to 10 years before we can produce anything here. The cost, however, will be significantly higher than both China and India as they not only have established facilities but have scale and are providing API to the entire world.
The Pakistan government has taken some very important steps to assist the pharmaceutical industry. These will help it grow and develop. This has included deregulation of non-essential medicines and working on capacity building so that both DRAP and the industry meet international requirements and grow their export potential.
In the event that there is a complete blockade of trade then Pakistan will have to look elsewhere to get API and other essential life-saving drugs.
It is important to be very clear that the government and the industry are working together to ensure that patients have continued access to essential medicine.
Please note that Chinese companies produce the cheapest API’.
Speaking exclusively to the media Pakistan Drug Lawyer Forum (PDLF) president , Noor Mahar, said “Our heavy reliance on Indian raw materials poses a grave risk to national medicine security, especially during any regional political tension or military conflict”,
He argued that Pakistan imports over 39% of its pharmaceutical raw materials — including active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), excipients, and intermediates — from India, amounting to approximately $350–400 million annually, according to trade figures reported by the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).
Noor Mahar said Locally produced intermediates include: Para-aminophenol (Paracetamol intermediate),DRAP’s Recent Directive on Alternative Sourcing (Database Entry) In January 2025, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) issued an advisory notice encouraging: Pharmaceutical manufacturers to diversify their raw material sources, Reduce overreliance on Indian suppliers, Explore sourcing from China, Turkey, Malaysia, Jordan, Iran, and Europe. This policy aims to prepare Pakistan for any emergency shortages during geopolitical instability. According to DRAP’s circular: Pharmaceutical manufacturers must ensure at least two alternative approved sources for every critical raw material, ideally from different geographic regions.” Noor Mahar’s Opinion on War Risk and Alternative Arrangements: Noor Mahar strongly emphasized: In the unfortunate event of a Pakistan-India war or complete trade breakdown, Pakistan’s pharma sector would collapse within weeks unless alternative arrangements are made today.”
He suggested: Strategic stockpiling of critical APIs, Pre-approval of suppliers from countries like China, Iran, Turkey, and Malaysia, Government facilitation of API parks and public-private partnerships, Subsidized financing and regulatory fast-tracking for new local API manufacturers. Noor Mahar also urged DRAP to create a “National API Security Strategy”, focusing on medicine independence by 2030. “Medicine sovereignty is as crucial as food security. Without local raw material capacity, no nation can ensure its people’s health during crises. Pakistan must act immediately.” Conclusion: Pakistan faces a critical pharmaceutical security challenge. Unless proactive measures are taken to reduce dependence on Indian raw materials and expand local production, the nation risks severe medicine shortages in any future conflict or crisis. The window for action is closing fast.
