Taking a cue from the Gujarat Industrial Development Schemes and exploiting the support announced by the AIADMK government, the southern branch of the Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA) plans to implement innovative programmes to boost the pharmaceutical industry in Tamil Nadu with special attention to enhance production and exports, said S V Veeramani, vice-president of IDMA southern region.

Delivering a lecture on ‘Current Development in Pharmaceutical Industry’ in the awareness programme organised by IDMA in association with Drugs Control Department for the state’s pharma manufacturers, Veeramani said Tamil Nadu pharmaceutical industry ranks fourth position in the Indian domestic market with a turnover of Rs.2573 crore. In the welfare measures of the Association, the thrust area of concentration is to enhance the production and exports by SMEs.

Inviting attention of the small scale entrepreneurs into exploiting opportunities, he said the rural markets are growing faster than the city markets. Tamil Nadu contributes only 5 per cent of the national production, whereas Gujarat's share is 30 per cent. There are only 552 licensed units in the state, out of which 100 units are manufacturing bulk drugs, he said and called upon the pharma manufacturers to become members of IDMA or PMA TN branch to avail the benefits of IDMA schemes.

“When we consider the growing trend in the domestic market, we see only three MNCs in the top 10 companies in our country. SMEs are increasingly bagging contract manufacturing orders from these MNCs. If all the small scale units upgrade their manufacturing facilities, they can take a major share of the growing market. Further they can utilise the availability of contract researches, product developments, clinical researches and the emerging field of biopharmaceuticals”, he told the SME leaders.

Focussing attention on export potential, the IDMA leader said if more companies can become WHO-GMP compliant, they will be able to avail a major share of the emerging markets, especially in Latin America and in Asian countries. Stressing the need to become Schedule M compliant, Veeramani reminded the industry that there is chance for 1000 more companies to become WHO-GMP compliant, if so the total turnover can be increased.

Inaugurating the programme, G Selvaraj, the director of drugs control department, said Tamil Nadu also wants a cluster concept like that in Gujarat. He said the state chief minister is working out a comprehensive industrial plan to make the state number one in industrial growth and the benchmark is the Gujarat model.

H Parameswaran, management consultant, delivered speech on ‘State Government Incentives for Industrial Development’.