Context:
- The Indian pharmaceutical industry is growing at an exponential rate and as per the report by InvestIndia, in the past three years, majorly fast-tracked under pressure projected by COVID-19, at present it is valued at $50 billion.
| Relevancy for Prelims: Threats of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry.
Relevancy for Mains: Indian Pharmaceutical Industry, its associated challenges, and steps that need to be taken. |
The Indian Pharmaceutical Industry is the Pharmacy of the World
- Position: The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the third-largest producer of pharmaceutical products by volume and 14th-largest by value.
- Recognition: Supplying pharmaceuticals to more than 200 countries, India has risen to the prominence of being recognised as the ‘pharmacy of the world.’
- A Robust Network: At present India enjoys a presence of more than 3000 pharma companies and over 10,500 manufacturing facilities. Therefore, it can be said that the industry is thriving at a phenomenal pace.
- Commitment to Strengthen: India is further committed to improving the healthcare infrastructure and providing universal health coverage and in the process, it seeks to strengthen its foothold in the international market and at the same time penetrate deeper into the market.
Need to Focus on the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry
- Enhancement of Quality: Industries to produce superior-quality products, conforming to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifications.
- Upgradation of the Standards: Industries need to reinvent continuously and upgrade the manufacturing standards to garner a resilient pharmaceutical infrastructure to meet the increasing demands, domestically as well as internationally.
- Awareness of the Challenges: To scale the production and offering of the pharmaceutical sector, the manufacturers must be aware of the looming threats challenging the Indian pharmaceutical industry.
Time to Counter the Menace of Moisture:
- Moisture as a Threat:
- Quality Deterioration: Even the slight presence of moisture in the surroundings is capable of deteriorating the quality of the products, can initiate organic corrosion, and can severely interfere with the accuracy and potency of products.
- It also increases the chances of lumping and caking of powder at the time of tablet compression. Consequently, this results in the failure of the entire tablet processing.
- Concern: It can severely impede the growth of the Indian pharmaceutical industry.
- Need of the Hour:
- Dehumidification at Every Stage: To curtail the damaging effect of moisture, it is necessary to ensure the supply of moisture-free air at every stage of the pharmaceutical process.
- Dehumidification Solutions: To achieve quality air during the various pharmaceutical processes, the industry must deploy dehumidification solutions.
- Dehumidifiers: Installing desiccant dehumidifiers that are well supported by advanced technology, and maintain a constant relative humidity (RH) throughout the process.
- Achievement: Consequently, with the country strengthening its foothold in the international market, manufacturers are quickly adopting dehumidification solutions.
Also Read: Production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for bulk drugs (APIs)
Conclusion:
The process of achieving stringent environmental conditions within the manufacturing space helps in the production of the highest-quality pharmaceutical products. As the Indian pharmaceutical industry is recognised as the ‘pharmacy of the world,’ there is a need to adopt advanced dehumidifiers that offer a roadmap to not just preserve the title but also expand the offerings of the country.
November 16, 2023
