No shortage of critical drugs, major pharma cos assure PM

Mumbai: Major pharma companies assured the Prime Minister on Saturday there would not be any shortage of critical medicines in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak, ever after April, with supplies of certain raw materials having resumed from China. Significantly, the industry said there were enough stocks of hydroxychloroquine, a medicine used for rheumatoid arthritis and malaria, in the country, if there was need to use it as a potential treatment for Covid-19, sources told TOI.With a global race to develop effective treatments for the dreaded virus, hydroxychloroquine has emerged reportedly as one of the frontrunners globally.
PM Narendra Modi held a video conference with CEOs of top drug companies like Zydus Cadila, Dr Reddy’s, Sun Pharma and GSK, industry associations IPA, IDMA and OPPI, AiMed, bulk drug manufacturers’ and chemist associations including AIOCD, to assess supplies of key medicines and critical devices like ventilators in view of the rising number of Covid-19 cases. Earlier, the Union Cabinet approved a Rs 9,940 crore incentive package for bulk drugs and Rs 3,820 crore for medical devices.
The drug hydroxychloroquine has shot in limelight recently after US President Trump touted it as a potential treatment, while France has found early evidence that a combination of hydroxychloroquine and antibiotic azithromycin may be effective in treating Covid. Sources said Indian Council of Medical Research may include it in the treatment protocol of Covid-19 patients, but this could not be verified till time of going to press. “India has enough stocks of the drug, and if there is a need, we can also supply 25 lakh dosages in the country,” a company’s CEO who produces the drug, is understood to have conveyed in the meeting.
Main producers of hydroxychloroquine include Zydus, IPCA Laboratories and Cipla, while a majority of the drug is exported to US. Amidst the surge in demand, a shortage of the generic drug in US is being feared reportedly, according to American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Regarding the stocks of medicines in India, earlier the industry had conveyed that it had an inventory for three to four months till March-April, after which it could face supply disruption. Shortages were feared mostly in key raw materials and APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) on which there is complete dependence on China including paracetamol, several antibiotics and vitamins, due to the lockdown in China’s Hubei’s province in the wake of Coronavirus outbreak. This had led to the government to impose export restrictions on 26-odd APIs earlier this month.
“Things are looking better with supplies of critical key raw materials and APIs having resumed. Some APIs have started from China. Also, we have asked the government to ensure a faster and priority clearance at ports, and to look at the option of air-lifting critical APIs, which may be required to ramp up production. We have stocks of three months,” a CEO with a Mumbai-based company said. Pharmaceuticals are fundamental to the healthcare security of the country, and our first priority is the domestic market. With an adequate stock of APIs, finished product formulations and channel availability, we can sustain the supply of medicines for the coming months. We are not aware of any medicines shortage to date,” Sudarshan Jain of Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance told TOI. Rajiv Nath, forum coordinator AiMed, said: “There is no crisis as far as ventilators are concerned as of now. We can ramp up production of critical devices if we get assistance in cargo-lifting of key components.”