Impact on Indian pharma unlikely: IPA

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump’s move to impose 100 per cent import tariffs on pharmaceutical drugs from October 1 is unlikely to have an immediate impact on Indian exports, as it will affect only patented and branded products, not generic medicines, pharma industry players said on Friday. Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), which represents 23 leading Indian pharmaceutical firms, including Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Sun Pharma, Lupin and Zydus Lifesciences, noted that Trump’s latest tariff will not have implications for the generic drugmakers.

Reacting to the development, IPA Secretary General Sudarshan Jain said in a statement, “it is not applicable to generic medicines.” Trump’s statement refers to patented and branded products supplied to the US, he added. Indian pharma companies largely export generics to the US market. Together, IPA members drive more than 80 per cent of India’s drug and pharmaceutical exports, and serve over 64 per cent of the domestic market. Pharmexcil Chairman Namit Joshi said: “India has long been a cornerstone of the global supply chain for affordable, high-quality medicines, supplying nearly 47 per cent of the US’s pharmaceutical requirements. The proposed 100 per cent tariff on branded and patented pharmaceutical imports is unlikely to have an immediate impact on Indian exports, as the bulk of our contribution lies in simple generics and most large Indian companies already operate in the US. manufacturing or repackaging units and are exploring further acquisitions,” he said.