ISLAMABAD: Representative bodies of the multinational and local pharmaceutical industry believe that the recently held Pakistan-China Pharmaceutical and Healthcare B2B Investment Conference has opened a new chapter in industrial cooperation and could attract investment opportunities worth up to $1 billion in the pharmaceutical sector.
The government had claimed that it signed a number of agreements during the conference.
Executive Director of the Pharma Bureau Ayesha Tammy Haq, while talking to Dawn, described the summit as a significant step towards transforming Pakistan-China relations into deeper, investment-led industrial partnerships.
“The Summit [held last week] demonstrated the strong and growing interest of Chinese companies and investors in Pakistan’s pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. The engagement has opened important opportunities for technology transfer, local manufacturing, joint ventures, contract manufacturing, research and development,” she said.
She added that it created a strong platform for converting the longstanding friendship between Pakistan and China into meaningful industrial partnerships and investments.
“Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry has the capability, talent and market potential to become an important partner for Chinese companies seeking to expand their manufacturing and regional footprint,” Ms Haq said.
She said it should be noted that deeper collaboration with Chinese companies could significantly strengthen Pakistan’s pharmaceutical ecosystem by bringing in modern technologies, improving manufacturing capabilities, supporting local production of medicines and vaccines, and enhancing the country’s potential to serve regional and international markets.
“The Pharma Bureau [the representative body of multinational companies in Pakistan] believes that the successful implementation of the opportunities identified at the Summit will require continued collaboration between the government, regulators, industry and international investors,” she said.
However, she said the real success of the summit would be measured by the investments, factories, technologies, jobs and exports that emerge from the partnerships initiated.
Chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) North, Usman Shaukat, remarked, “This conference represents a watershed moment for Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry. The convergence of Pakistani innovation, manufacturing capability and regulatory expertise with China’s scale, investment capacity and market reach opens unprecedented opportunities for bilateral growth.”
Mr Shaukat said the PPMA remained committed to facilitating collaboration and advancing the interests of the industry.
Former PPMA chairman Malik Arshad termed the initiative a game changer for Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry and the national economy, saying it was expected to create investment opportunities worth up to $1 billion in the country’s pharmaceutical sector.
Speaking about the outcome of the conference, Mr Arshad said the agreements and partnerships forged during the event would pave the way for large-scale foreign direct investment, technology transfer and industrial development.
He said the initiative would enable Pakistan to achieve self-sufficiency in pharmaceutical manufacturing, reducing dependence on imported medicines and raw materials while ensuring greater availability of medicines at affordable prices.
He said technology transfer from Chinese companies would help Pakistan develop its domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities, allowing the country to produce medicines and pharmaceutical ingredients locally.
According to him, increased local production would not only help address recurring shortages of medicines but also contribute to lowering medicine prices for consumers.
Highlighting his own contribution to the initiative, Mr Arshad said his investment in the project stands at $25 million. He added that one of the major long-term benefits of the partnership would be the indigenous production of pharmaceutical raw materials, significantly reducing Pakistan’s reliance on imports, particularly from India.
Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2026
