691 foreign drug brands entered Nepal in last FY

KATHMANDU, NOV 30 -

The domestic drug market, of late, is seeing entry of an increasing number of pharmaceutical companies from third countries (countries other than India).

Of the 10 drug manufacturing companies registered with the Department of Drug Administration (DDA) in 2011-12, eight were from foreign countries such as Germany, Belgium, Italy, France, the UK, Austria and the US.

According to DDA, foreign companies have come up, mainly with anti-cancer, large volume parental, contraceptives, vaccines, anti-retro viral and other life saving drugs .

A total of 7,783 foreign brands have so far received approval for selling in the Nepali market. Of these, 691 brands were granted licence in the last fiscal year alone. “The department, however, has not allowed the new entrants to sell essential drugs in Nepal,” Pan Bahadur Chhetri, a DDA official, said.

The DDA has adopted this policy as domestic drug manufacturers have been diversifying their product base.

There are 45 Nepali pharmaceutical companies producing general medicines. They hold an estimated 45 percent share in the domestic market worth Rs 17 billion annually.

Foreign drug makers registered in 2011-12

1.     Pfizer Manufacturing Deutchland GmbH, Germany

2.     Baxter S.A, Belgium

3.     Elly Lilly, Italy

4.     ACI Pharma Inc., USA

5.     Guerbet, France

6.     Fleet Laboratories, UK

7.     Fresnius Kabi GmbH, Austria

8.     Reneta Ltd, Bangladesh

9.     Kopran Ltd., India

10.    Milan Laboratories Ltd, India

Source: The Kathmandu Post