The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has grantedt nod to six major manufacturers for exporting 50 per cent of their monthly operating capacity of paracetamol active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) subject to similar quantity for domestic market.
An undertaking is required to be submitted to Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in this regard at the time of export by Farmson Pharmaceuticals, Meghmani LLP, Sri Krishna Pharmaceuticals, Granules India Ltd, Bharat Chemicals and Para Products Pvt Ltd.
A request has also been made to Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) by NPPA for reserving the quantity for domestic requirement.
State and Union territory drugs controller have been asked by the DCGI to email details of action taken and report of compliance by manufacturer along with data in this regard on fortnightly basis (i.e. on 15th and 30th of every month on enforcecell.div@cdsco.nic.in, import.regist@cdsco.nic.in and dci@nic.in till NPPA’s subject order remains operational in light of COVID-19.
The capacity of some of the manufacturers have been explained as follows:-
Sri Krishna Pharmaceuticals, Hyderabad has installed capacity of 12,000 million tonnes per annum.
Hyderabad based Granules India Ltd has the capacity to manufacture paracetamol API of 1,800 tonnes monthly and 22,000 tonnes annually.
Gujarat Farmson Pharmaceuticals, Nandesari in Vadodara has manufacturing capacity in excess of 25,000 metric tonnes annually.
Meghmani LLP at Dahej has built up a manufacturing unit with a capacity of 7,500 metric tonnes of paracetamol per annum.
Bharat Chemicals at Korba, Chhatisgarh, has a yearly production capacity of nearly 4,000 metric tonnes of paracetamol.
The NPPA had allowed six manufacturers to export 2,000 metric tonnes of paracetamol API based on recommendation by the ministry of external affairs.