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Source: The post India’s penicillin production has been created, based on the article “Express View on resumption of penicillin production: A step in the right direction” published in “Indian express” on 12th March 2024.
UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 – governance-Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
News: The article discusses India restarting penicillin production due to shortages caused by dependency on imports, mainly from China.
What is penicillin?
Penicillin is an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) used in various antibiotics.
It’s essential for treating bacterial infections that can cause illnesses like rheumatic fever.
For information on active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) read here
What is the status of India’s penicillin production?
India had stopped producing penicillin three decades ago due to an influx of cheaper imports, mainly from China. This led to a heavy reliance on imports for this critical drug.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of depending on foreign supply chains.
Currently, India imports about 90% of all APIs needed for antibiotics.
The country requires more than 13,000 million doses of penicillin in the next three years.
The government plans to resume penicillin production under the Make in India scheme.
What is the government’s role in reviving penicillin production?
The government introduced the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to support penicillin production. It offers financial incentives over six years to boost domestic manufacturing.
It provides 20% support for the first four years, 15% for the fifth year, and 5% for the sixth year.
The focus is on fermentation-based bulk drugs like penicillin.
The scheme aims to reduce dependency on imports and strengthen self-reliance.
The government ensures the initiative doesn’t compromise medicine affordability.
For information on Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme read here
Way forward
Moving forward, India should balance boosting penicillin production with maintaining medicine affordability. Sustaining the industry post-government support is crucial.
Question for practice:
Evaluate India’s plan to revive penicillin production, considering government incentives, sustainability, and medicine affordability.
