A large contingent of about 30 Pharma companies under the banner of Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (PHARMEXCIL), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India would be participating in the forthcoming “Arogya 2012 – International Healthcare Exhibition” being held at the BMICH, Colombo from 17-19 August 2012 from 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM. These Indian companies deal with high quality pharmaceutical formulations, APIs, Nutraceuticals, Medical Devices, Herbal and Biotech products, etc.

This prestigious event is being organized by the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Health, Government of Sri Lanka with India as a “Partner Country”. A large area of the exhibition hall has been earmarked for the PHARMEXCIL (India) Pavilion. Hon. Maithripala Sirisena, Minister of Health and Hon. Lalith Dissanayaka, Deputy Minister of Health, Government of Sri Lanka would inaugurate this Exhibition on 17th August 2012 morning in the presence of Mr. Ashok Hettigoda, President, National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka and Mr. P. Kumaran, Deputy High Commissioner, High Commission of India, Colombo.

As a precursor to its participation in the “Arogya 2012”, a high-level delegation led by Dr. P.V. Appaji, Director-General, Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (PHARMEXCIL), held wide-ranging discussions on 15th August 2012 at the Ministry of Industry & Commerce of Sri Lanka on the establishment of a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub in Sri Lanka with Indian cooperation.

The PHARMEXCIL delegation is currently on a visit to Sri Lanka on the directions of Hon. Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles who visited Sri Lanka earlier this month coinciding with the “India Show” organized in Colombo from 3-5 August 2012 and had promised India’s cooperation in setting up a special pharmaceutical manufacturing zone in Sri Lanka. PHARMEXCIL is the premier organization under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, to promote the Indian pharmaceutical industry, which exports products worth US$ 13 billion worldwide market. The PHARMEXCIL delegation comprises MDs/CEOs of several prominent Indian pharma companies such as M/s Ramky Pharma City (India) Ltd, M/s Stedman Pharma Pvt. Ltd, M/s Unique Pharmaceutical Laboratories, M/s J B Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd, M/s ACG Worldwide Group, M/s NATCO Pharma Ltd, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and M/s Wockhardt Ltd. The Indian delegation is visiting Sri Lanka at a very short notice to coincide with “Arogya 2012” being held at BMICH, showing India’s keenness on extending cooperation in the establishment of the proposed pharma hub without delay.

During his presentation at the Ministry of Industry & Commerce, Dr. P V Appaji, DG PHARMEXCIL informed that “On a year on year basis, India’s pharma exports to Sri Lanka increased by 15.95% in 2011 to US$ 126.9 million of which 93% were formulations followed by bulk (7%) and herbals (0.15%). The top three drugs sent to Sri Lanka from India are Amoxycilline (antibiotic), glucose liquid, and diloxanide furoate (for intestine/stomach issues).  Our data shows that India, with a market share of 24.8% is one of the top three suppliers for Sri Lanka’s bulk drug (pharmaceutical ingredients/raw material used to produce tablets, pills, syrups etc.) requirements while it enjoys a market share of 58.3% and is the top supplier for Sri Lanka’s formulations market (readily usable final products such as tablets, pills, syrups etc) requirements in 2010. With its impressive growth in pharma exports in recent years, India is now known as “The Pharmacy of The World”, as almost  every molecule off patent is also manufactured in India. Now we are promoting RxIndia (written RxIndia), our umbrella brand, across the world. Today, there is no place in the world where Indian drugs cannot be bought. As for our manufacturing outlook, we are now actively trying to move up in the chain - from low margin bulk drugs to higher margin, ‘formulations’ manufacturing. In  2010,  India was the largest exporter of ‘formulations’ in terms of volume with 14% global market share. More than 55% of formulation exports are to highly regulated markets thus endorsing  Indian Industry`s adherence to highest standards of quality. India’s exports of overall pharmaceuticals during 2011 were US$ 13.2 billion with World Generic Market share of 2.9% excluding India’s domestic market. In 2011, 64% of our our pharma exports were formulations while 33% were bulk drugs and 1% in herbal drugs. 25% of our exports went to North America while only 3.8% sent to South Asia.”

During the visit, the PHARMEXCIL delegation called on Hon. Basil Rajapaksa, Minister of Economic Development, Hon. Jayarathne Herath, Acting Minister of Industry & Commerce, and Hon.Maithripala Sirisena, Minister of Health, to discuss means of cooperation including setting up of the proposed pharmaceutical manufacturing zone in Sri Lanka. The delegation is also scheduled to visit potential sites identified for this purpose.

Colombo