A Study of Pharmaceuticals in India and Kashmir Aspect

The Indian pharmaceutical industry positions among the top five countries by volume (production) and accounts for about 10% of worldwide production. The industry’s gross revenue has grown from a simple US$ 0.3 bn in 1980 to about US$ 21.73 billion in 2009-10. Stumpy cost of skilled manpower and innovation are some of the major factors taking sides of this growth. According to the Department of Pharmaceuticals, the Indian pharmaceutical industry employs about 340,000 people and an approximate 400,000 doctors and 300,000 chemists. The Indian pharmaceutical industry is disjointed with more than 10,000 manufacturers in the controlled and unplanned segments. The products manufactured by the Indian pharmaceutical industry can be generally classified into bulk drugs (active pharmaceutical ingredients - API) and formulations. Of the total number of pharmaceutical manufacturers, about 77% make formulations, while the remaining 23% make up bulk drugs. Bulk drug is an active constituent with medicinal properties, which acts as fundamental raw material for formulations. Formulations are precise dosage forms of a bulk drug or a mixture of bulk drugs. Drugs are available as syrups, injections, tablets and capsules. Based on the pharmaceutical consumer base, the Indian API manufacturing segment can be alienated into two sectors – innovative or branded and generic or unbranded. In 2009, the worldwide generic drug market was projected to be US$ 84 billion, of which the US accounted for 42%. India‟s generic drug industry is approximate to be US$ 19 bn and it ranks third globally, contributing about 10% to global pharmaceutical production. Pharmaceutical manufacturing units are mainly concentrated in Maharashtra and Gujarat. These regions hold for about 45% of the total number of pharmaceutical manufacturing units in India. Based on the elevated value plant species, J&K has a huge potential for establishing bio-pharmaceutical industry.