Andhra Pradesh pharma units set to increase production

Visakhapatnam: The meeting of Unit Approval Committee (UAC) of VSEZ, at Visakhapatnam, was dominated by pharmaceutical broad banding proposals this month, whereas no new unit has come to be set up in VSEZ due to the continuing pandemic in the country, said A Rama Mohan Reddy, the development commissioner. The committee chaired Reddy convened a WebEx meeting for SEZs and EOUs of AP, from its administrative building at Duvvada.

The UAC in its meeting accorded approvals for various pharma units located in AP, viz Reddy's Labs, Lee Pharma, Divis Labs at Bheemili, Esai Pharma in Ramky SEZ, Salora in APSEZ and Hetero Drugs at Nakkapalli, Aurobindo for broad banding and enhancing their capacities. Eisai Pharma is also accorded approval to go for trading of Zonisamide of 1,000 lg. Dr Reddy's Srikakulam unit will make 1.95 mi. tabs of various doses of gastro resistant medicines for export worth Rs 28.83 crore. Divis Labs, has also sought for broad banding of a number of nutraceuticals related to animal health, coloring agents and will have annual capacities of 69 metric tonne and will achieve net foreign exchange (NFE) of Rs 122 crore in the next 5 years.

UAC also approved the proposal of Hetero Drugs to make sodium zirconium cyclosilicate 100 kg, a hematology related drug. Aurobindo unit in Naidupeta will make 2.1 mi. tablets of Guaifenesin and Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride.

The development commissioner said that during 2020-21, the exports made from VSEZ were to the tune of Rs 1,13, 975 crore and the zone recorded a growth in exports of 14.05 per cent so far. This financial year, the exports were to the tune of Rs 20,172 crore in Q1 with a growth of 21 per cent and contribution of pharma is Rs 4,240 crore. The growth will improve says, Reddy, if the pandemic is kept under control.