Indian Government Restricts Export of APIs and Formulations Due to COVID-19

The Indian government has issued a notification of the restriction on the export of 26 APIs and formulations, including paracetamol, progesterone, and vitamin B12, as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19.

Although this measure is being enforced until further notice, news sources from India have also confirmed that officials are insistent that the restrictions are only temporary. According to a March 5, 2020 news story in The Times of India, the country’s minister of chemicals and fertilizers, D V Sadananda Gowda stated that there is no shortage of raw ingredients or medicines in India for the next three months when he addressed the fifth international exhibition and conference on pharmaceutical and medical industry. 

“There is no shortage of any APIs in the country,” Gowda was quoted as saying in the news story. “We have sufficient APIs and medicines in the country for another three months there is no shortage for undertaking production in the pharma sector.”

Authorities and companies around the globe are monitoring the situation to ensure appropriate action can be taken to reduce the impact on manufacturing and supply in the worst-case scenario.

Sources: 

, The Times of India