India wants to be the ‘pharmacy of the world.’ But first, it must wean itself from China

India wants to be the ‘pharmacy of the world.’ But first, it must wean itself from China

India has embarked on an ambitious plan to cut dependence on China for key raw materials as it seeks to become self-sufficient in its quest to be the Already the world's  India has one of the lowest manufacturing costs globally. About  consumed in the U.S. and one in four in the U.K. are made in India. However, India's $42 billion pharmaceutical sector is heavily dependent on China for key active pharmaceutical ingredients or API — chemicals that are responsible for the therapeutic effect of drugs. , India imports about 68% of its APIs from China as it's a cheaper option than manufacturing them domestically. However, an estimate by the Trade Promotion Council, a government supported organization, puts the figure of API dependence . Another carried out in 2021 points out that while India's API imports from China are at nearly 70%, its dependence on China for "certain life-saving antibiotics" is around 90%. Some drugs that are highly dependent on Chinese APIs include penicillin, cephalosporins and azithromycin, the report said. That may be starting to change. Under a government scheme launched two years ago,  began to be produced at 32 plants across India in March. This is expected