India can surpass China in pharma sector; Tempest

Mumbai, Sep 14 (UNI) India can become a leading global player in the Pharmaceutical Industry and can even edge over China as far as the potential for this field is concerned, Ranbaxy Laboratories' chief mentor and executive vice chairman Brian Tempest today said.

Addressing Pharma Summit 2006, which was held by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here today, he said India has several advantages over China. Amongst the reasons which could make India a leading pharmaceutical player were productivity advantage, favorable demographics, and economic growth, he said. A study says that by 2030, India's working population will exceed that of China.

''India and UK roughly have same number of billionaires (23 and 24 respectively), against mere eight from China,'' Tempest said.

He added that India has a large number of U S FDA (Food and Drug Administrator) approved plants, over 40 per cent of US DMF (Drug Master Filing) and 25 per cent of ANDA (Abbreviate New Drug Application) are filed from India.

However, no generic Chinese company has yet filed any US FDA or ANDA, he said.

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