India's pharmaceutical industry is now the third largest in the world in terms of volume and stands 14th in terms of value. According to data published by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, the total turnover of India's pharmaceuticals industry between September 2008 and September 2009 was US$ 21.04 billion. Of this the domestic market was worth US$ 12.26 billion.

Moreover, according to an Ernst & Young and industry body study, the increasing population of the higher-income group in the country, will open a potential US$ 8 billion market for multinational companies selling costly drugs by 2015. Besides, the report said the domestic pharma market is estimated to touch US$ 20 billion by 2015, making India a lucrative destination for clinical trials for global giants.

Exports

Export of pharmaceutical products from India increased from US$ 6.23 billion in 2006-07 to US$ 5.92 billion in 2007-08 and to US$ 8.7 billion in 2008-09—a combined annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.25 per cent. According to Mr Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Minister of State for Commerce, pharmaceutical exports from the country have recorded growth rates of 21.61 per cent, 14.37 per cent and 28.54 cent, respectively, in the three consecutive years of 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09.

Pharmaceutical exports during April-December 2009 were worth US$ 6.33 billion, according to the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

Growth

According to the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), the pharmaceuticals industry in India will grow by over 100 per cent over the next two years.

"The people are increasingly becoming health conscious and the sell of all types of medicines, particularly anti-biotic, will zoom up in the coming years. We expect the business to double by 2012", as per JS Shinde, President, AIOCD.

According to Shinde, the pharmaceutical industry is currently growing at the rate of 12 per cent, but this will accelerate soon. The sale of all types of medicines in the country stands at US$ 9.61 billion, which is expected to reach around US$ 19.22 billion by 2012.

Further, a RNCOS report titled 'Booming Pharma Sector in India' projects the industry to continue growing at a CAGR of around 13 per cent during 2010-11 to 2012-13. The formulations industry is expected to prosper parallel to the pharmaceutical industry. It is expected that the domestic formulations market in India will grow at an annual rate of around 17 per cent in 2009-10, owing to increasing middle class population and rapid urbanisation.

Diagnostics Outsourcing/Clinical Trials

According to the research published by RNCOS titled 'Indian Diagnostic Market Analysis' published in January 2010, the Indian diagnostic services are projected to grow at a CAGR of more than 20 per cent during 2010-2012.

Generics

According to Mr Srikant Kumar Jena, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, India tops the world in exporting generic medicines worth US$ 11 billion and currently, the Indian pharmaceutical industry is one of the world's largest and most developed.

Moreover, as per a press release by research firm RNCOS in May 2010, the report titled ‘Booming Generics Drug Market in India' projects the Indian generic drug market to grow at a CAGR of around 17 per cent between 2010-11 and 2012-13. Mr Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and Lim Hng Kiang, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore , have signed a 'Special Scheme for Registration of Generic Medicinal Products from India' in May 2010, which seeks to fast-track the registration process for Indian generic medicines in Singapore.