Making Medicines in India

CENTRE HAS ANNOUNCED TWO SCHEMES TO REDUCE IMPORT DEPENDENCE IN MEDICINE MANUFACTURING. WILL THEY WORK THIS TIME?

- JOE C. MATHEW

The Department of Pharmaceuticals had gone into a huddle as early as February this year when India had only three confirmed cases of Covid-19. A committee of inter-ministerial experts and importers and manufacturers of medicines met every day to keep a watch on happenings in China. Their worry was not just the spread of the disease. They were also concerned about the lockdown in China and its impact on supply of key raw materials used to make medicines in India.