Impact of Coronavirus (COVID19) on India Pharmaceuticals

Impact of Coronavirus (COVID19) on India Pharmaceuticals

India is one of the largest providers of generic drugs worldwide. India pharmaceutical industry supplies approximately 50% of vaccines worldwide, 40% of generics in the United States and 25% of all medicines in the United Kingdom. India exports bulk drugs, intermediates, drug formulations, biologicals, Ayush & herbal products, and surgicals to various countries.

According to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), the Indian pharmaceutical sector had a market size of USD 33 Billion in 2017. India’s pharmaceutical exports had witnessed an increase from USD 19.14 Billion in 2019 to USD 17.27 billion in 2018.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak had a negative impact on the India pharmaceutical industry in the following ways:

  • India has restricted the export of several drugs such as paracetamol, antibiotics such as tinidazole and erythromycin, hormone progesterone, which is used in the contraceptive pill, and vitamins B12, B1 and B6. These drugs account for approximately 10% of all India’s pharmaceutical exports.
  • The Indian government have imposed limits on the export of 26 pharmaceutical ingredients
  • Indian pharmaceutical companies are now close to exhausting their supply of raw materials such as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Moreover, the inventories related to the pharmaceutical ingredients are running low.
  • Several pharmaceutical companies who have contracts with domestic clients and various state governments to supply medicines have been crippled, as manufacturing has come to a halt due to a shortage of raw materials from China
  • Pharmaceutical companies are not able to procure pharmaceutical ingredients for Mintelukast, used for asthma, pain medication Nimesulide, and Amoxicillin, Ofloxaicin, and Chloramphenicol, which are used to treat bacterial infections, and antibiotic Metronidazole
  • Small and medium companies have been most  affected as they depend on traders and keep lower inventory
  • There is a drastic increase of 20-30% in the prices of raw materials used in medicines like Amoxicillin and Paracetamol.
  • The pharmaceutical logistics is facing the difficulties in receiving the raw material from other parts of the country

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Recent Updates

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates

FDA Approves First Rapid Point-Of-Care COVID-19 Diagnostic Test

Sunnyvale-based molecular diagnostic company Cepheid received FDA approval for the first rapid coronavirus test with a 45-minute detection time. This test will be used primarily in hospitals and emergency rooms.

Abbott receives FDA Emergency Use Authorization and Launches Test to Detect Novel Coronavirus

Abbott has received FDA emergency use authorization for a molecular test for novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The Abbott m2000 RealTime System is a molecular solution featuring a broad menu of tests, including ones for infectious diseases. The platform uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, which amplifies a single piece (or few copies of a piece) of DNA to quickly and accurately diagnose a patient. The m2000 is currently used in labs around the world.

Roche begins shipments of first 400,000 COVID-19 tests to laboratories across the US to begin patient testing under FDA Emergency Use Authorization

Roche plans to ship an additional 400,000 tests per week to the laboratory testing sites across the nation that are set up to run the test immediately under the guidelines of the FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The Cobas SARS-CoV-2 Test provides reliable and high-quality results for clinical decision-making for the improved management of COVID-19 patients and to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus) infection. These highly automated tests provide results in 3-½ hours.

Eli Lilly teams with Indiana Health Agency to provide speedy Coronavirus Testing to Indiana Residents

Eli Lilly teams with the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) to rapidly expand and accelerate testing for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in Indiana.

Thermo Fisher plans to produce up to 5 million of a new test to detect the Novel Coronavirus

Thermo Fisher, the largest maker of scientific tools, plans to produce up to 5 million of a new test to detect the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19. The Food and Drug Administration granted the new test an emergency use authorization status.

*Emergency Use Authorization (EUA): Under section 564 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), the FDA Commissioner may allow unapproved medical products or unapproved uses of approved medical products to be used in an emergency to diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions caused by CBRN threat agents when there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives.