Coronavirus woes causing Indian pharma to return to self-reliance for APIs

Self-reliance is turning out to be key in India as the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) issue stretches supply chains, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

A government think-tank, NITI Aayog, aided by health officials, has finalized a list of nearly 60 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), including ones for diabetic drugs such as metformin and antibiotics like azithromycin, where India is 'mostly dependent' on China - and has urged the domestic industry to become self-reliant.

India also manufactured scores of APIs and, until two decades ago, used to depend mainly on indigenous production for it drug industry. However, China’s scale of production and cheaper capital costs pushed down prices to such an extent that most Indian API manufacturers cut down production and are currently operating at just 30%-40% capacity.