Indian Drug Manufacturers' Association-Gujarat State Board (IDMA-GSB) has been in the forefront of activities that have helped  the pharma  industry in Gujarat to grow into a world leader.

According to Chirag Doshi, chairman,(IDMA-GSB), about 25 to 28 per cent of the  total revenue of Gujarat pharma industry comes from exports. He points out that this is because the drugs that are manufactured in the state are of world class standard and most of the manufacturing plants that are based in  Gujarat have regulatory approvals from the US, UK.

“The main reason behind our recognition as a sought after destination for setting up manufacturing facilities by the top pharma companies is because we have a  strong reputation for producing high standard drugs in the state. This is also because the regulatory body in the state is very effective and industry friendly which helps in removing the barrier and provides us with a ideal platform to discuss the important issues with the regulatory officials on frequent basis. And off course, the Gujarat government certainly provides a wide range of opportunities to the industry to grow, by providing us with incentives and support by way of infrastructure, electricity, and subsidies etc”, he adds.

Helping the industry to grow
In order to give a further push to the industry, IDMA is organising Pharmac India 2012, an internationally acclaimed exhibition to help prominent pharma machinery, equipment and material industry to showcase their products at a open platform in Ahmedabad between September 8 to 10. This is the third time that this event is being organised in Gujarat and is expected to create a huge impact on the development of the industry due to its immense potential to bring pharma manufacturers, pharma packaging material and machinery along with API’s, bio pharmaceuticals with largest suppliers, distributors etc. under the same roof.

Doshi informed that people from across the world would be coming to either participate or visit this event which would be providing a perfect platform to exhibit world class products . Nearly 250 exhibitors which includes the small scale manufacturers from across the country would be exhibiting at this event providing them a good exposure to the international clients.

“This event is organised with a view to sensitise the whole world about the huge potential of our manufacturing capabilities and expertise in this field. It is a very important event as the who’s who of the industry will be present at this event either as an exhibitor or as a visitor. Thus we urge all the companies to  come forward and participate in it so as to give an upward thrust to the industry,” Doshi stresses.

One of the highlights of this event is that even the FDCA has a separate stall in Pharmac which will  guide and inform the visitors about the regulatory requirements in Gujarat. Most importantly, this event will also act as the curtain raiser to 'Vibrant Gujarat 2013' which is  being  held in January 2013.

Acknowledging the important role of IDMA in leading the growth of the generic industry in the country, the government of Gujarat will be working closely with IDMA during the VB 2013, to provide better business opportunity and exposure of the Indian pharmaceutical companies to the international market.

Upping the ante
All this activities shows that the government and the industry is pro actively working together to propagate Gujarat as a pharma destination to attract investment opportunities. This is crucial at a time when the  Indian pharmaceutical industry is growing at nine  per cent which is further expected to grow to $50 billion by the year 2015. The over all contribution of Gujarat in exports of the pharma products is 22 per cent.

Dr H G Koshia, commissioner, Gujarat State Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA), who will also be the guest of honour at Pharmac informs, “The industry in Gujarat is handled by law abiding citizens which reduces lot of burden of the regulatory officials. Gujarat is seeing substantial developmental activities with many companies setting up their base in the state. But to match its demand we need to have the support of the industry as well . With the co-operation and support of the organisations like IDMA-GSB it is easy to ensure the implementation of the rules and regulation across the  state. They also play a major role in ensuring that all their members follow rules as required by the law.”

Problems  and solutions
The Gujarat government is doing all it can to ensure complete support to the pharma industry. However IDMA-GSB feels that to push the growth of the industry there needs to be more pro active initiatives from the centre as well. There are a number of factors that have to be touched upon while addressing this topic, but the most notable of all is the government's lack of interest having a universal approach to propel the industry's growth.

“Today, when it comes to the pharma business, there is no harmony among the states due to the different government policies and subsidies provided unequally among the states. The government should adopt a universal policy that will help the uniform growth of the industry  in all  states.”

He informed that over the years there have been a mass migration of the pharma manufacturers  from Gujarat to the states like Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh etc due to the excise free zone subsidy declared by Indian Government. This is leading to an alarming trend wherein majority of pharma industry is slowly shifting and transferring their production to these excise free zones . It is also forcing many Gujarat- based companies to divert their business from the domestic to international market.