KARACHI, March 2: Pharmaceutical manufacturers expect at least 50 per cent increase in supply of locally produced drugs to the war-torn Afghanistan this year.

A large number of local manufacturers have already geared up their efforts to take a major slice in Afghanistan despite tense competition with Iran, China, Taiwan and Korea.

“Our members have already supplied medicines up to Rs500 million to Afghanistan in 2001,” vice-chairman, Pakistan Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers Association (PPMA), Mohammad Abdullah Feroz, told Dawn on Saturday.

Around 55 to 60 local manufacturers are currently engaged in supplying various drugs and medicines to Afghanistan out of total 180 PPMA members, he said.

He said that entry points for local drugs in Afghanistan were mainly Quetta and Peshawar.

Meanwhile, an official in a local pharma company said that Iran was really giving tough time to the local manufacturers by selling its products at a very cheap rate.

For example, the landed cost of locally manufactured anti- biotic Amoxicillin in Afghanistan comes to Rs5-8 per capsule, while Iranian brand is available at Rs1.50 per capsule.

He said a life saving drug administered through injection, applied in heart attack called Streptokenase, was being supplied at Rs3,500 to Rs4,000 by a local manufacturer as compared to Rs1,500 to Rs1,800 per injection of Iranian origin.

He said exports of medicines could rise further if the procedure of getting duty rebate was announced by the government.

Pakistan has already made its presence felt in the Middle East, African and South Asian countries and Central Asian Republics by exporting around $111.5 million (Rs6.7 billion) worth of medicines last year.

According to PPMA, production of drugs in the country has registered an increase of seven to 10 per cent in the last few years. Since 1999, the government gave approval of registration for over 1,500 drugs, granted drug manufacturing licences to 30 new pharmaceutical units.