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Mr Ajay Piramal

P.T. Jyothi Datta

Mumbai, July 24 Cough-syrup producers are set to face less hiccups in making this product, with the Centre roping in one more private player, Piramal Healthcare to make codeine - a narcotic substance that goes into the product.

The Centre has given Piramal Healthcare the licence to manufacture codeine, said Mr Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Piramal Healthcare.

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories is the other company that has in the past got government approval to make codeine. The licence was awarded following a tender process by the Union Finance Ministry, Mr Piramal told Business Line.

A greenfield plant would have to be put up to make codeine and it is still about three years away, he said, given the several regulatory clearances that were involved as codeine is a controlled substance. The location of the plant is yet to be decided.

Piramal Healthcare’s estimated Rs 110-crore cough-syrup Phensedyl and Pfizer’s Corex have in the past been hit by codeine shortages. But supply issues have since been resolved, with the product being imported, Mr Piramal said.

Besides using codeine for in-house products, other companies requiring it too will be able to buy the substance from Piramal Healthcare and DRL, he indicated.

DRL’s plant to make codeine will be set up next to its active pharmaceutical ingredients plant in Pydibheemavaramin, Andhra Pradesh, a company spokesperson told Business Line. The product would be for local supply and the plant should be up in three years, the official said.

Details were not available on the price of codeine imports and whether that would come down, when made locally.

“There have been significant constraints in the supply in the past. Licensing procedures for the finished dosages have also limited the demand. Assessment of demand is a complex exercise, which we are still working on,” was DRL’s response on pricing.

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