The Pharmaceuticals Exports Promotion Council (Pharmexcil) has issued an alert for Indian drug-makers who are exporting their products to Pakistan.

The trade alert has been issued against Islamabad-based firms, Medizan Laboratories Pvt Ltd and Siam Pharmaceuticals, according to a communication sent to pharma companies by the council.

Following complaints from few Indian exporters (whose names have not been disclosed) that the two Pakistan pharma companies “own huge amounts’’ to them and were not responding to requests for payment, the council too, had written to them.

“As there was no response from the companies, the Council had taken up this issue with the Ministry of Commerce, Pakistan, but our efforts have not helped the members to recover the dues so far,’’ Uday Bhaskar, Director General (Pharmexcil), said in a circular.

The alert has been issued to some other drug-makers who continue to cater to orders from these firms as a precautionary measure.

As per the information obtained from its portal, Medizan Laboratories manufactures and markets generic drugs and has been operating in all most all cities of Pakistan under licence from the Ministry of Health, Pakistan. Siam Pharma is also a generic player.

As per the data of Pakistan Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers Association (PPMA), there are over 700 pharma units in Pakistan which cater to 95 per cent of domestic drug requirements.

According to a recent study on Indo-Pak pharma trade by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, Pakistan imports drugs from Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, France, the United States, Italy and China.

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