The Ministries of Finance,Commerce and Health and Family Welfare are strongly pitching for the reversal of the current FDI regime in pharma as they feel that it threatens access to affordable medicines not only in India but also developing countries.While the Prime Ministers Office is for continueation of the present policy which allows foriegn investment in pharmaceutical companies,the Parliamentary Standing Committee has recommended a blanket ban on FDI in existing pharma projects and urged furthur takeover/acquisition of domestic pharma units be stopped.

An internal document prepared by the Department of Industrial Policy and promotion states as follows-

“If the policy continues to be implemented in the existing manner,the access to the medicine scenario in the country could adversaly impact production,availability and prices.India could then be dependent for life saving medicines either on domestic facilities of MNCs or imports.India is already import-dependent for intermediates and critical drugs like penicillin.”

whether the central government will stop playing with the life and health of the people?