PHARMACUETICAL INDUSTRYOF PAKISTAN

Pharmaceuticals are the substances that are aimed to treat, cure, prevent or recognize diseases and
relieve pains through their applications. Research and discovery are the essence of pharmaceutical
industry, and its success has played a vital role in maintaining pre-eminent position of the pharmaceutical
industry in the world today. Such activities demand a sustain rate of huge investment over a long period.
Pharmaceutical Industry devotes huge resources to R&D more than any industry.

At the time of independence in 1947, there were no pharmaceutical firms in Pakistan. Today, the country
boasts more than 700 pharmaceutical manufacturing units. In fact, QuintileIMS in its latest quarterly
report1puts the ‘Active Manufacturers’ at 759, up from a total of 304 in 1999.However, official sources
dispute this figure, contending that there are no more than 650 licensed manufacturers in Pakistani
pharmaceutical industry2 . This indicates a wide gulf between industry and the government that is
characteristic of the pharmaceutical landscape in Pakistan. Taking the QuintileIMS figure as a reference
point, only 27 are Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) while Pakistani firms account for 645 of the total
3. The generally accepted figure of MNCs, though, is 17 or 184, down from 40 or more in the 1990s.

The growth of the pharmaceutical manufacturing plants is reflected in the table given below.

TABLE 1: NUMBER OF PHARMACEUTICAL FIRMS IN PAKISTAN (ESTIMATES BY IMS)

Year No. of Pharmaceutical Firms

2007 406

2017 759

Pharmaceutical companies are geographically spread all over Pakistan. Pharmaceutical production units
in provinces tend to concentrate in major cities like Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar. Although the
numbers reflect that majority of firms are in the province of Punjab, but in terms of production, capacity
utilization, volume and size of business, Karachi leads the way as far as pharmaceutical firms are
concerned. The following table gives the number of pharmaceutical establishments by province.

TABLE 2: NUMBER OF PHARMACEUTICAL FIRMS BY PROVINCE

 z 1999 20175 20176
Punjab 160 370 440
Sindh 101 163 183
KP 32 98 114
Baluchistan 2 13 15
AJK 9 6 7
Total 304 650 759

ref

https://www.scribd.com/doc/32476064/Pharamaceutical-Industry-Analysis-of-Pakistan

( introduction of pharmaceutical industry)