Once thought of as the place to go for low-cost drug manufacturing, some companies in India say that until they can bring up manufacturing standards, they will suffer against emerging markets like Brazil.
The biggest drugmakers in India have had very public lapses in manufacturing quality, so it comes as little surprise that small drugmakers there say they need help with bringing their plants up to modern GMP standards.
The government is offering some support, reports in-Pharma Technologist, but medium and small manufacturers are critical of the financing rules in place, saying they throw up hurdles to making improvements.
"There is need to simplify the procedures for providing financial support to the SMEs. With enhanced technical upgradation and financial capacity, the SMEs will be able to lower these market barriers and gain easy entry," Natasha Nayak, a trade analyst, wrote in a government-supported report.
Upping quality would make the companies more competitive with emerging markets like Brazil and South Africa. One of the targets of criticism is India's new plan for drug pricing, which will drop price controls for some drugs and institute them for others.
- see the in-Pharma Technologist story
- here's the government report