Karachi:
Pakistan’s pharma industry will not request raw and other security vaccines used in medicines from India over tensions between Pakistan and India and raw materials and other vaccines will be easily imported from alternative countries to meet the needs of the country, while $ 305 million was imported from India last year.
The Pakistan Chemist and Drug Association said that the government of Pakistan has announced only to end any trade with India, but so far the federal government has not issued any notification in this regard.
Pakistan has been unable to produce any kind of protective vaccine, including polio, despite the passage of 30 years, children’s vaccination programs are also imported from overseas to 13 different diseases contained in the EPI.
Vaccine plants can also be set up in all four provinces, while Pakistan also has vaccine researchers and other technical experts.
In Pakistan, insulin, anti -rabies (vaccine imposed on dog bite), anti -snack vaccine, is imported from India.
Experts say why this vaccine and raw material can not be developed in India, why not be done in Pakistan.
Pakistan Chemist and Drug Association Chairman Abdul Samad Bhutani said that in 2024, Pakistan imported $ 305 million in raw materials from India, with anti -snacks from India and other vaccines and other vaccines than European countries.
He said that the government has announced only not to trade with India. No information has been issued in this regard. He said that if the notification was issued, we could get medicines, vaccines and raw materials from alternative countries.
He said that there are many countries where we can get raw materials and medical devices, in this regard, our association has contacted different countries so that there is no shortage of medicines in the case of possible emergency in the country.
Abdul Samad Bhutani made it clear that there is a stock of raw materials and essential medicines in Pakistan, there is no problem.
He said that it is true that India produces the cheapest anti -ribs, anti -snacks, pneumonia and other vaccines, so importers prefer to get the burden.
He said that after Pak-India tensions, the country’s pharma industry is constantly reviewing the situation and we will not allow the people to be disappointed.
Former Deputy Director Dr Ikram Sultan said that despite 70 years in Pakistan, the raw material used in medicines could not be manufactured while 1500 pharmaceutical companies were operating in Pakistan.
He expressed surprise that Pharmacopoeia could not be made by the government of Pakistan.
Dr Ikram Sultan said that the raw material used in medicines in Pakistan is imported from China and 45 % from China and 45 % from India as the raw materials from European countries are more expensive than these two countries.
He said that why the same raw material used in medicines is expensive and cheap, unfortunately, our pharmaceutical institutions do not pay attention to making raw materials.
He said that if the government of Pakistan implemented the announcement of the purchase of the third party of the raw material used in medicine in India, it would increase the prices of medicines in the country as the raw material purchased from India is cheaper and available in other countries.
He said that if the raw material used in medicines was purchased from other countries, the importers would have to pay more prices and it would take longer to achieve it.
Dr Ikram Sultan said that it is estimated that 50 % of the drug used in Pakistan is imported from India, there are 1,500 manufacturing units from the preparation of medicines in Pakistan but despite the passage of 70 years, there is no progress in the country in relation to the manufacture of pharmaceuticals in the country so far.
