A report by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan estimated that the Pakistani pharmaceutical industry has a 50-60% import reliance on India.
Currently Pakistan has more than 800 large volume pharmaceutical formulation units, including those operated by 25 multinationals present in the country.
Specialized finished dosage forms such as soft gelatin capsules, parenteral fat emulsions and metered-dose inhalers continue to be imported.
[5] Political disturbances and allegations of under-invoicing add to the uncertainty of imports[6] and clashes with the customs and tax authorities are common.
[8] The decline is attributed to the challenging business environment, where supplying quality medicines at rates lower than production costs has become unsustainable.
[10][11] From the UK, ICI also disinvested, selling its name and production licenses to a local entity, a move mirrored by Roche Pakistan in 2010.