January 06, 2008	Sunday	Zilhaj 26, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Jan 5: The government is considering providing incentives to the pharmaceutical industry so that it could compete in the international export market.Official sources told Dawn on Saturday that policy recommendations have been made to the government to enlarge the size of the pharmaceutical sector by providing necessary financial and technical support to help penetrate in the export market in the areas of “bulk drugs” where competitiveness is almost purely determined by economics of scale.

Successful penetration in the global market was termed a Challenge, to be favourably met by the domestic pharmaceutical industry.

In the context of globalisation, intellectual property rights will formulate the rules. Indeed, serious efforts were required to build up pharmaceutical sector as an important source of export earning.

Although, market of pharmaceutical industry is expanding at the rate of 20 per cent annually, about half of the population still has no access to modern medicines.

In their recommendations, official planners said the major thrust of the policy should be on pharmaceuticals and drugs, diagnosis pharmaceuticals, phyto-pharmaceutics, veterinary pharmaceutics and alternative medicines (homeopathy, biochemic).

Pakistan is rich in resources, which can be used for production of pharmaceutical raw material, both for domestic consumption and for export marker.

They believe that proper utilisation of these resources could help develop this sector. It would also result in saving substantial foreign exchange. The government was asked to focus on manufacturing of drugs based on slaughterhouse waste, such as plasma substitutes, insulin, pituitary extract, oxytocin etc.

Attention also should be paid on manufacturing of fermentation products, inorganic drugs, such as magnesium tri-silicate, aluminum hydroxide gel, attapulgite, ferrous salts, kaolin, sodium alginate, etc.

In this regard, phyto-chemicals, such as opium derivates (codeine, papaverine, morphine), sylimerin, aescin, isaphagula husks, etc., plants need to be cultivated and standardised on scientific grounds, and organic drugs based on imported intermediates were also mentioned.

The government was proposed that high quality material (medicinal herbs) could be the starting point for investment in the research and development (R&D).

Pakistan is among the major exporters of raw herbs and medical plants. However, most of these plants are exported without any quality standards and at very low prices.

R&D investment in this area should focus on assessing and improving the quality of currently available raw material, cultivation and conservation techniques and organic farming. The government was told to help invest on developing cost- effective extraction technologies, raw material analysis and standardisation methods of commercialisation.

True benefits of value-addition could only be utilised through export of finished herbal products. However, a suitable place in the global market for products of Pakistan origin can only occur when they are supported by extensive pharmacological and clinical evidence.

In addition, these products can also play a vital role in meeting domestic health care needs at affordable prices.

In this regard, it was proposed that adequate funds should be allocated and efficiently utilised for conducting pharmacological and clinical investigation on various medicinal plants which could lead to new products or strengthening the scientific basis of existing products.

About Unani medicines, it was proposed that these be developed on scientific lines which would help create “niche” market for the unique Pakistani products and services to herbal medicines from China and Ayurveda from India.

The government was urged to help in the standardisation and marketing of quality herbal products for exports. Also, testing laboratories of international standards on toxicology, clinical efficacy and a follow-up were proposed.