India has achieved phenomenal growth in the pharmaceutical sector, demonstrating the capacity to meet domestic needs and the expertise to cater to the global demands. India produces a third of the world’s drugs, and is the largest supplier of low-cost generics, vaccines and affordable HIV medication. India’s pharma sector serves more than 200 countries and territories. It has the second-largest number of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medicine-manufacturing plants. By 2024, the industry is expected to reach $65 billion in worth.
This impressive growth has led to India acquiring the distinction of “pharmacy of the world”. It has also opened better opportunities for access to essential medicines for the Indian masses, and thereby getting closer to Universal Health Care (UHC) targets of efficient, accessible and affordable medical care. Access to essential medicines is a key determinant of UHC, a specific target of sustainable development goals. In a country such as India, health strategies need to address both scale (covering a 1.3 billion-strong population) and scope (variety of medical services available to all) of health care. Expenditure on long-term medicines can impact the financial stability of a household and an imbalance can cause ruin.
The Indian pharma industry has primarily excelled due to low-cost manufacturing, robust research and development (R&D) infrastructure and a workforce that is skilled in drug production. India’s first credible success came with the production of affordable HIV medicines. In the late 1980s, when AIDS appeared as a terrifying threat in several low- and medium-income countries, an Indian pharma company offered medicines at less than half the price. The industry contributed to reducing the global North-South gap in enabling access to basic and life-saving treatment against AIDS.
Our recent Covid-19 management experience is a testimony of how the pharma industry can change a hopeless situation into a promising one. In January 2021, when India administered the first dose of the indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, it demonstrated the ability to effectively deliver affordable countermeasures in a health emergency. In any pandemic, the capacity to provide medicines and medical care to the largest population is key in arresting and reducing its impact. India witnessed the execution of the largest vaccine programme in the world during a very difficult period.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “leave no one behind” has been a guiding force in transforming India’s health landscape. A slew of schemes was launched or upgraded to move India closer to UHC targets. In the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the government adopted a holistic approach to health care, covering prevention, promotion and ambulatory care at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
