India’s Unique Opportunity and Important Responsibility as the Pharmacy to the World

India sometimes describes itself as the “pharmacy to the world” because it is a significant global supplier of affordable therapeutics, including many life-saving medicines for chronic conditions. For the U. S., where more than nine out of 10 prescriptions dispensed are generic drugs, India is a critical partner, responsible for a substantial portion of these drugs. I recently visited India with a central purpose in mind—to strengthen our collective efforts to advance the development and availability of medical products that both our countries and the rest of the world needs.

Fifteen years ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recognized India’s strategic importance to the U.S.—and to the agency in fulfilling our mission—and opened one of the FDA’s first foreign offices in India. Since that time, the Indian medical products sector has continued to grow as has our reliance on medical products made in India. These were drivers for my decision to travel to India where I met with Government of India officials, pharmaceutical company CEOs, academics, clinical researchers and innovators.

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