UK pharmaceutical industry welcomes India trade talks

The UK has published its negotiating objectives and announced the start of trade talks with India.

In response, Claire Machin, Executive Director, International Policy, the ABPI, said:

“This negotiation is one of the most important that Britain could strike for life sciences and would provide an opportunity to boost access to innovative medicines and vaccines for patients in India.

“Delivering on the UK’s objectives for science must be top of the agenda if we are to make the UK a global hub for life sciences and it is positive that these ambitions are reflected in the UK’s negotiating objectives. We look forward to working with the government to achieve them”.

Medicinal and pharmaceutical products were the second largest category of goods the UK imported from India in the last year, accounting for £533.8 million worth of trade or 7.5% of all imports from India. In contrast, pharmaceuticals ranked 22nd in the list of UK exports to India, at a value of around £137.7 million.