India has called for a “clear roadmap” from China to meet its long-standing demand to open up Chinese pharmaceuticals market for Indian exports as the drug regulators of both the nations held their first ever meeting on Friday at Shanghai, brain storming on removing the road blocks.

India for long has been pressing China to open its pharmaceutical market which is under pressure from the public for the high prices for cancer and generic drugs, for Indian pharma exports to address the yawning trade deficit which last year according to Chinese figures, crossed $ 57 billion. Besides pharmaceuticals, India has been asking China to open up its IT market as well to ensure steady increase of Indian exports.

Officials of India and China have been working to address India’s concerns since last year’s informal Wuhan summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Following the meeting, China has begun import of rice, sugar and soybean but there was no breakthrough yet on the pharma front, regarded as a “big ticket” item.

In order to break the deadlock, drug controllers of India and China along with senior commerce ministry officials and diplomats held a nine-hour meeting in the eastern city of Shanghai which is the first of its kind. In his message to the meeting Indian Ambassador to China, Vikram Misri, has called for a clear roadmap from Beijing to address the issue.

“Misri said that a “clear roadmap for increasing the share of Indian medicines in Chinese market needs to be in place. The meeting between the regulators should be regular, according to a press release issued by the Indian Embassy here.

During the regulatory meeting, India’s drug regulator Dr S E Reddy emphasised on the regulator becoming facilitator for improving affordability and accessibility of quality medicines to the citizens, the statement added.

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