ISLAMABAD, Jan 24 (APP):Coordinator General COMSTECH, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary Wednesday emphasized increasing pha
rmaceutical exports of the country which are very low.
Speaking at an I
nternational Seminar on Pha
rmaceutical Manufacturing in OIC Member States: Status and Future, he pointed out that Pakistan was producing very high-quality medicines but unfortunately, its exports were very low which needs to be enhanced.
He said that Pakistan needseda hydrocracking facility, biomass fermentation base, medicinal plant and salt and mineral based pha
rmaceutical manufacturing.
Prof. Choudhary assured that COMSTECH can bring expertise in pha
rmaceutical manufacturing from different OIC member states which are doing excellently well in this area, like Iran, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Turkey. He said that the most important factor was to implement the recommendations of this seminar to excel.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, Dr. Waqar Masood Khan, who graced the occasion as the chief guest, said that pha
rmaceutical manufacturing was a key indicator of economic development of any country.
He said the most important goal of any nation is to achieve good health and good health cannot be possible without quality medicine. He informed that the pha
rmaceutical sector is the next up and coming sector to contribute to exports. He suggested finding ways to reduce the imports in this sector which are too high at the moment.
Dr. Waqar hoped that this seminar would lead to real manufacturing of pha
rmaceutical products. He suggested preparing a database of OIC countries and striving for intra-OIC trade in this sector. He indicated that Islamic Development Bank could provide cheap trading financing to help boost intra-OIC trade.
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Wasay, from Neurology Department, Agha Khan University said that pha
rmaceutical manufacturing was very good in Pakistan and we were also exporting pha
rmaceutical produce, but are importing raw material extensively.
He said we need to draw a framework to manufacture pha
rmaceuticals at a wide level to export.
Prof. Wasay said that this is a seminar that brought all stakeholders under one roof to discuss how to produce, export, and be innovative in this industry.
CEO, Drug Regulatory Authority Pakistan, Asim Rauf said that Pakistan was struggling in terms of pha
rmaceutical manufacturing and export. Eight manufacturing units of Pakistan have i
nternational recognition, he said and informed that USD 1 billion export of pha
rmaceuticals was this year’s target.
Rauf said that despite the challenges, we are doing in our capacity to achieve this goal. He also informed that DRAP has been made fully automated and by one click all imports and exports are tracked.
He suggested that we can have
joint ventures with OIC states, like conducting clinical trials, signing MoUs and devising
joint programs under COMSTECH.
The seminar was also addressed by industry experts and practitioners. More than 60 people participated in the seminar in-person,
and online from various OIC member states.
