Himachal pharma industry bleeds from West Asia war

Kullu: The war in West Asia has started casting a shadow on the pharmaceuticals industry in Himachal Pradesh due to a spike in raw material cost. Temporary shutdowns are feared, possibly leading to a medicine shortage.According to Himachal Drug Manufacturers Association (HDMA), raw material rates jumped 200%-300% since the war began nearly a month ago, and manufacturing hours dropped from 24 hours to just 8 hours at several units. Terming the situation "critical", HDMA president Dr Rajesh Gupta and general secretary Munish Thakur have written to chemicals and fertilisers minister JP Nadda, seeking his urgent intervention. They said the unprecedented surge in prices of raw materials — such as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), solvents, excipients, and packaging materials — "threaten survival of MSMEs and essential medicine supply".HDMA has raised alarm over black marketing of raw materials and urged Nadda to invoke Essential Commodities Act to regulate supply and prevent hoarding."Prices of APIs like paracetamol have gone up from Rs 250 per kg to Rs 450 per kg, and this is just one example. Packaging costs have skyrocketed, creating a threat of job losses and shutdowns," read the letter, seeking intervention by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority for price monitoring.According to HDMA members, the crisis was worse than during Covid. The fear a shortage of LPG for boilers in industrial production, as well as domestic LPG, may result in labour migration."It's a critical situation. Himachal supplies 25% of all drugs in the country. If the problem is not resolved, we may face a medicine shortage. Production is already down, and many units may face shutdowns," said Sanjay Sharma, HDMA spokesperson.