Pharma industry: Govt reaffirms pledge to provide conducive environment

ISLAMABAD: The government has reaffirmed the commitment of providing conducive environment to industrial sector including pharma industry to attain sustainable growth aiming at not only catering to national requirements but also help achieving pharma sector export target of $3 billion within next few years.

Speaking at the 7th Pharma Export Summit and Award 2024, here on Wednesday, Federal Minister for Commerce and Industry Jam Kamal Khan assuring the government’s unwavering commitment to revitalising and advancing Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry, said that the government has finalised the reactivation of 13 out of 16 sectoral councils to prepare comprehensive plans and policies for industrial development and trade promotion in the country.

He said the process of reactivation of rest of the three councils would soon be started as the government wanted to encourage the industrial sector by ensuring trust and building confidence to grow in a bid to cope with global challenges.

The minister said the suggestions from the sectoral councils would be presented to the export development board, headed by the prime minister, for their swift implementation. He added that each sectoral council would have its own secretariat to determine ways and means and take measures to enhance trade and industrial activities in the country, noting that such initiatives would also help promote the local pharmaceutical sector.

He emphasised that the pharmaceutical industry played a pivotal role in the country’s economic growth and development, and the government was fully committed to supporting the sector’s development, adding that sufficient resources were available for economic progress and social prosperity in the country.

The minister pointed out that due to the focus on a few sectors, all other sectors were ignored, and “now it is essential to concentrate on those sectors with the potential to excel.”

He said that restoring investor confidence was a significant challenge for the current government.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to taking measures to restore the confidence of local and foreign investors and to address the issues they face in attracting trade and investment in the country.

The government is also determined to remove all bottlenecks in the development of local trade and investment, with long-term policies being developed to achieve sustainable industrial growth.

He said “we must work together to truly unlock the potential of Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry.”

“Collaboration between the government and the private sector is essential for developing strategies that are not only effective but also aligned with the realities of the market,” he said.

The minister said “Pakistan has the ability to capture the international market but we required proper diagnoses,” adding that “cure is never take place without analysis/dialysis”. He said that nothing could improve without a proper medication. There was a margin of growth in all sectors and it was necessary to build up the trust of the investors through consistency of policies, he added.

The minister congratulated the organisers of the Pharma Summit for bringing together key stakeholders, thought leaders, and innovators in Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry.

Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath said the pharma industry was playing an indispensable role in promoting health and well-being across the nation and the globe as well.

The country’s pharma industry was not only created vast employment opportunities but also fulfilling 90 per cent medicines need.

The prime minister was also very keen to bring more and more supportive policies to flourish this important sector which always registered upward growth trajectory with every passing year.

He said the summit would provide a unique opportunity for all stakeholders viz industry leaders, healthcare professionals, policy makers and international partners to come together, share ideas and collaborate on strategies that would further strengthen pharmaceutical sector.

Assuring the full support of the ministry to the pharma industry, he said “the government is committed to fostering an environment that promoted research, innovation and regulatory excellence that our pharmaceutical sector could continue to meet the highest standards of quality, safety and efficacy.”

Regarding pending legislation and amendment to Drug Act, 1997, he said that after the 18th amendment, the health had devolved to the provinces. However, he said consensus documents would be brought with collaboration of all provinces through Council of Common Interests (CCI). He said that his doors were always opened to the representative of the pharma companies and the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufactur-ing Association (PPMA) for any assistance.

Speaking on the occasion, CEO Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) Dr Asim Rauf lauded the organisers of the summit and said that world was changing and digitising was very important thing. “The theme of the summit indicated that we were on right path,” he added.

He said that despite various challenges that pharma industry in Pakistan was continuously growing and its exports witnessed upward trend with passage of every year. The DRAP was taking various transformation steps to make the country’s pharma industry compatible to the international standard and exposed to international auditor. He said the DRAP was also ready to coordinate with the pharma industry in order to move it forward. He said “recently our industry got access to the UAE and European markets which were considered as regulatory market.”

Earlier, in his welcome address, PPMA Chairman Mian Khalid Misbahur Rehman said “PPMA is a recognised trade body with over 250 members and started its journey in 1961.” He said that 90 percent country’s medicines need was being fulfilled through local production. The pharma industry was providing quality medicines to the people at affordable prices, he added.

He said they had eyed to enhance the medicines exports to $3 billion in next five years. He hoped that the industry would achieve the $3 billion export target easily. However, he said the industry was struggling for survival due to various challenges. He called upon the government to pass the Drug Act, 1997, at the earliest with the proposed amendments as it was hampering the growth of the pharma industry.

Chairman Organizing Committee Dr Kaisar Waheed, CEO Hevolution Foundation Saudi Arabia, Dr Mehmood Jan, Dr Semith Kumluk, Dr Mahwash A Khan, Aamir Altaf Qureshi, Usman Shaukat, Mian Asad Shuja-ur-Rehman, Dr Adeel Abbas, Haroon Qasim and other pharmaceutical industry experts, researchers, academics, and managers from all over the country and abroad spoke on the occasion.

The summit attracted over 400 senior executives, and experts of the pharma industry from all over the country. The theme of this year’s conference is “Digital pharma transformation: enhancing efficiency in uncertain times”.

Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Vice-President, Dennis Hall delivered a lecture on “Innovations in pharmaceutical manufacturing-exploring cutting-edge applications”.

Pinar Kivilcim, Global Client Officer at Ipsos Healthcare gave a presentation on leveraging market research for pharma growth.

Later, awards were given to over 50 pharmaceutical companies for showing excellence in drug production in Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024