The manufacturers of pharmaceutical products, medical devices and machineries in the country should have a vision to promote Indian brands of products in the domestic and global markets because despite explosive growth in the pharma sector in the country, people prefer to accept foreign brands, said union minister of state for agriculture, Parashottam Rupala.

“People are interested in buying products of all kinds, including medicines, with labels, ‘Made in Taiwan, made in Japan, made in US etc. This has to change and in place, we need the label, ‘Made in India”, the minister said.

Rupala made this comment while inaugurating the international pharma technology exhibition, ‘PharmaTech Expo2016’, at the Gujarat University Convention Centre in Ahmadabad.

“We need to have our own brands of products. Indians opt for foreign brands and this has to be changed. In the field of pharma, separate brand should be made for each category of medicine which should be promoted all over the world. For this, government of India has been promoting the concept ‘Make in India’, and is ready to provide support for creating infrastructure facilities, subsidies, tax benefits and other services for setting up business units”, the minister said.

Rupala said government is ready to solve the problems of the industry for making Indian made brands of medicines better quality. The people of the country should feel proud of Indian made products. All the medicines sold in the domestic market should carry the sticker, ‘Made in India’. The SME pharma units will be given adequate help to create a market for their own products.

Rupala pointed out that Gujarat has made a brand in pharma, likewise, he wanted, Indian drug manufacturers should strive for making a brand for India.

Participating in the function, Dr. H G Khoshia, Commissioner of Gujarat FDA, said apart from the production of drugs, 40 per cent of the pharmaceutical machineries are also made in Gujarat and they are sold on a comparatively less price. The manufacturers of Indian pharma products can buy all kinds of machineries with latest technology on 1/3 of their prices in the UK markets.

The PharmaTech Expo 2016, is the fourth edition in the series and is supported by NSIC, Pharmexcil and FDA Gujarat. Large number of visitors from all over the country are visiting the expo. A total of 152 exhibitors from India and abroad are showcasing their latest technologies and innovations in the event.

A seminar on ‘GMP for SMEs - Schedule M & Beyond’, was held on August 21 by Pharmexcil and, another seminar on ‘Ayurveda--the Future of Healthcare’, was conducted on the next day. The exhibition will culminate at 5pm on August 23.

Ramesh Shaw, the chairman of the organising group, KNS Media, said the fifth edition of Pharma Tech will be held in Chandigarh next year.