Pakistan is taking emergency steps to secure drugs after India stopped the terror attack after Pahalgam: Report | Today news

In the aftermath of India’s suspension of the Indus water treaty to the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan again has retaliation by stopping all trade with New Delhi. This sudden strike has resulted in Pakistani health authorities initiating an ’emergency readiness’ measures to protect pharmaceutical supplies, as the country relies on 30-40% of its pharmaceutical raw materials on India, including active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and advanced therapeutic products. The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) confirmed that contingency plans are in place, although no formal notice has been issued on the impact of the banutical sector ban. Drap officials said preparations for such disruptions began after the 2019 crisis, and that they are now actively seeking alternative sources from China, Russia and various European countries to maintain the supply of essential medicines, such as anti-vaccines, anti-lake poison, cancer therapies and monoclonal antibodies. Despite these efforts, the insiders in the industry and health experts warn of important challenges that lie ahead if no action is taken. The Ministry of Health has not yet received an official richteline to clarify the status of pharmaceutical imports, and there is growing fear of critical shortages in the sector. The situation is further complicated by a bleeding black market, where unregistered and non-approved medicine-often from Indian origin-of-the-Afghanistan, Iran, Dubai and across the eastern border to Pakistan are smuggled. Although these illegal channels comply with legal imports, they offer no quality insurance or reliability. In response, a delegation from the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) has called on the Islamabad authorities for an exemption from the trade ban, arguing that many life -saving products depend solely on Indian raw materials. The PPMA also approached the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), and insists that pharmaceutical and health -related trade be excluded from the ban of protecting the lives of patients. Some experts suggest that this crisis can serve as a catalyst for Pakistan to invest in the domestic production of APIs, vaccines and biological agents, reducing the future dependence on foreign suppliers. First Published: April 26, 2025, 10:41 IST