‘’Custom duty should be minimised, preferably eliminated’’

For drug discovery and development, the scientists in pharma world need access to innovative tools like the latest analytical instruments for which there are no local manufacturers. These are expensive tools and the cost is further escalated by application of customs duty as there is no alternative to these tools available locally. To make the access easier and assist in research and development of the pharma products which can eventually help the country in improving quality of health care, we suggest the following:

Currently the product attracts more than 17 per cent customs duty when imported. Since there is no local product available, this duty should be minimised, preferably eliminated.

There are many new tools launched globally frequently with enhanced performance and features which can expedite the drug development process as well as improve the quality of the pharma products. If some Indian company wants to try these products before actually purchasing them to establish the utility, there is no way currently. The government should allow such temporary imports without any duty implications for a maximum tenure of six months. If the product is accepted by the end users, the purchase can be regularised and applicable customs duty would be paid by the users. If the product is not accepted, it should be sent back to the manufacturer within the stipulated time frame. This will allow the Indian scientists to evaluate the product before making the final decision and help our country to buy only what is useful to us.

We should also encourage public private partnership for training and develop talent pool in India which is trained and with expertise to use these advanced tools. This will help not just the pharma community, but also other research institutes in various fields such as food / environmental and proteomics. While the private industry can provide access to the students to these latest tools, this is a huge investment for which the private industry should be incentivised.

– Umesh Pawa, Managing Director, ABSCIEX India