The government, along with all stakeholders of the sector, has set a target to enhance pharmaceutical exports to $1 billion in the current financial year from $713 million in exports in the last financial year. This was stated by Asim Rauf, CEO Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), in a press briefing held on the concluding day of 20th PharmaAsia. We held a high-level meeting on the sideline of this conference to set up a plan to achieve the target of $1 billion in exports in the current financial year, he added. Asim Rauf said the government is facilitating the private sector to establish five API plants to increase the production of different medicines at a local level for relying less on imported brands while ensuring the medicines should be available at low prices in a domestic market.
He said the DRAP monitors the availability and pricing of the medicine in the local market through its robust mechanism of information system, which also takes action against the culprits raising the prices.