Minister hails record 34% growth in Pakistan’s pharma exports, backs new export platform

Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb on Thursday lauded Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry for posting a record 34% surge in exports, describing it as an “extraordinary performance” in an increasingly competitive global market.

A high-level delegation from the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA), led by its newly elected Chairman Dr. Tahir Azam, met the finance minister and senior officials at the Finance Division to review the sector’s export growth, regulatory reforms, and future expansion plans.

The delegation included PPMA Vice Chairman Athar Nazir Sheikh, former chairmen Mian Asad Shuja and Mian Khalid Misbah, and Executive Committee members Aman Sheikh and Usman Shaukat.

During the meeting, PPMA unveiled its plans to launch PharmEx Pakistan, a dedicated export facilitation platform aimed at coordinating efforts to boost annual pharmaceutical exports to USD 3 billion within three years and USD 10 billion within eight years. The proposed initiative will bring together the Ministries of Health, Commerce and Finance, along with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), under private-sector leadership.

According to PPMA representatives, Pakistan’s pharmaceutical exports recorded their highest-ever annual increase of 34%, underscoring the industry’s resilience and innovation despite economic challenges. The sector, they noted, has benefited from the deregulation of non-essential drugs and a wave of regulatory and fiscal reforms that have created a more enabling environment for business growth.

The delegation also praised the government’s “regulatory guillotine” initiative, which has sharply reduced drug registration timelines — from three to four years to just a few weeks — easing bureaucratic bottlenecks and encouraging investment.

Dr. Tahir Azam briefed the minister on the structure of PharmEx Pakistan, envisioned as a one-window export platform to drive trade facilitation, market diversification, global certification support, and international collaboration.

Minister Aurangzeb commended the PPMA’s proactive role, noting that while global pharmaceutical growth hovers around 5%, Pakistan’s domestic pharmaceutical sector is expanding at 18% annually, supported by an export growth rate nearly seven times higher.

“Your performance in such a globally competitive environment is extraordinary,” Aurangzeb remarked, adding that as Pakistan’s macroeconomic indicators stabilize, the pharmaceutical industry’s growth prospects will strengthen even further.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to facilitating the sector through fiscal incentives and regulatory support, emphasizing that export growth, investment attraction, and public-private partnerships are central to Pakistan’s broader economic strategy — with the pharmaceutical industry playing a key role.

The minister also commended the industry for ensuring the availability of affordable, high-quality medicines to the public while expanding Pakistan’s healthcare and industrial base.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to maintain close coordination between the government and the PPMA to enhance Pakistan’s global competitiveness and meet the ambitious export goals set under the PharmEx Pakistan initiative.