Health minister says local manufacturing of 35 APIs started after PLI scheme

Manufacturing of 35 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), which have been imported earlier, has started in India under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the pharma sector, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, union health minister, said yesterday.

These 35 APIs are among the 53 APIs, for which India has 90 per cent import dependence.

“The 35 APIs are being manufactured from 32 different manufacturing plants. This will give a boost to AatmaNirbhar Bharat,” Dr Mandaviya told reporters.

This would lead to reduction in import dependence of the key raw materials used for producing medicines, he added.

He said there has been a good response from the pharma industry to the PLI scheme and manufacturing of the other APIs is also expected to start in India in due course of time.

Last year, the government had announced the Rs 15,000 crores PLI scheme for the pharma sector and 55 companies, including Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Aurobindo Pharma, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Lupin, Mylan Laboratories, Cipla and Cadila Healthcare, had qualified for incentives under the scheme.

The incentives are to be paid for a maximum period of six years to each qualified company depending upon the threshold investments and sales criteria achieved by the applicant.

The products covered under the scheme include formulations, biopharmaceuticals, APIs, Key Starting Materials (KSMs), Drug Intermediates (DIs), and in-vitro diagnostic medical devices, among others.

According to the government, the objective of the PLI scheme is to enhance India’s manufacturing capabilities by increasing investment and production in the pharma sector and contributing to product diversification to high-value goods in the pharma sector.

Also, it aims “to create global champions out of India who have the potential to grow in size and scale using cutting-edge technology, and, thereby, penetrate the global value chains.”

Edits by EP News Bureau