India’s pharma sector needs a shot in the arm to fight the pandemic
25 Apr 2021
1 min read
As India battles a massive second wave of Covid-19
infections, its drug makers are under pressure to deliver vaccines and
medicines.
Called the “pharmacy of the world”, India’s sprawling
factories were expected to supply the bulk of Covid-19 vaccines and medicines
to the world.
However, a record jump in coronavirus cases in a country of
more than 1.3 billion people is putting the sector under strain. India’s health
ministry reported 346,786 new infections on Saturday and 224,959 new cases on
Sunday.
“The pharmaceutical industry does need to ramp up its
infrastructure to facilitate higher production of essential [drugs and
vaccines],” says Dr Nikhil Mathur, chief of medical services at the Care Group
of Hospitals.