Amid continued trade restrictions with India, Pakistan is actively working to find alternative sources for crucial pharmaceutical raw materials and vaccines. Officials revealed that the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Commerce are collaborating on a new strategy to cut reliance on Indian imports.
Currently, around 30% of Pakistan’s medicine raw materials come from India, but efforts are underway to shift sourcing to countries like China, South Korea, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, and European nations. Pakistan already meets 40% of its pharmaceutical needs through China, a partnership expected to grow.
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Before 2019, India supplied nearly 60% of Pakistan’s pharmaceutical raw materials, but that figure has now halved. Authorities are confident that with new international partners, Pakistan can fully end its dependence on India without disrupting medicine availability.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed that registration processes for new imports will be expedited to maintain steady medical supplies.
