Mumbai: steep rise in the cost of raw materials for essential drugs, called active pharmaceutical material (API) among pharmaceuticals, up to 140% in certain cases since the pre-pandemic level, pinches hard industry.
The overall increase, an average of almost 50% after importing high prices and supply disruption from China, has collected doubts about the availability of drugs and can cause disadvantages, especially from those who are the key to covid therapy.
API prices from certain drugs such as fever and painkillers of paracetamol and meropenem of antibiotics that save life (also used for covid), and anti-diabetes metformin, have more than doubled to be as high as 139%, each 127% and 127% and 127% and 127% and 127%, 127%, placing the spotlight back on total dependence in India on the dragon.
Nearly 70% of countries are imported from China, while the dependence of as high as 90% for certain saving antibiotics such as cephalosporin, azithromycin and penicillin.
Because these drugs are under price control, the company is forced to absorb higher costs, raising questions about their feasibility in the future.
In this scenario, for a certain period of time, certain drugs can disappear from retail racks with companies to switch to high-value products where the margin is protected.
After limited availability, patients may have to bear brunting and are forced to switch to a newer alternative, at affordable prices, industrial experts said.
Dependence on China for key fire has become a sustainable concern for the industry, influencing important raw materials for manufacturing cardio-vascular, diabetes, antibiotics, anti-allergies and vitamins.
But because Covid, the price increase has been sharp.
“The price of fire for some of our products has seen a sharp increase in this year,” GSK Pharma executive said to TI.
Executives added, “Because we have a long-term contract for Paracetamol tablets, the percentage of the increase is 75%, and for the paracetamol suspension of 115% (approximately) over the past year.” Adding industrial misery, packaging and shipping costs has also jumped various.
“The industry has faced great cost escalation because of imported raw materials and excipients – in some steep drugs 200%.
There is also a massive increase in the shipping tariff, transportation costs and packaging,” said the Indian drug manufacturer Association Ed Ashok Madan.
Reeling from this, the industry in March looked for a price revision once 20% in the price of a ceiling throughout the board, while recently requested certain molecules.
It also said that the implementation of a list of revised national important drugs was suspended until December to prevent rough shocks, if any.
Medications that are scheduled are allowed to increase annual prices by regulators of drug prices, in accordance with the annual wholesale price index.
Medications that are not scheduled – prices are not controlled – permitted an annual increase of 10% based on the control order of drug prices, 2013.
Recently, the authority for determining national pharmaceutical prices allows a one-time 50% price increase in three main drugs in three drugs – Carbamazepine anti-epilepsy, antacid ranitidine, and analgesic ibuprofen.
Last year, Heparin Blood Thinner, widely used in Covid therapy, was allowed to increase similar.
Not a significant disruption caused by a pandemic pushed India’s decision last year to plow from China.
With the aim of becoming Atma Nirbhar, the government announced a 6,940-crore RS scheme to promote custom production.
“The government has said that they will help fire companies with faster permits under environmental law by placing them in a more liberal category.
It must help improve the manufacture and reduce costs in the short term,” said Indian partner & Pharmacy leader Sujay Shetty ,