Paracetamol (an international name used in Europe) and acetaminophen (an international name used in the USA) are two official names of the same chemical compound derived from its chemical name: N-acetyl-para-aminophenol (the segment ‘’CET’’ inserted between “para’’ and ‘’amino’’) and Acetyl-para-aminophenol. This drug has a long history and, as it often happens with important discoveries, it was found by chance. India enjoys an important position in the global pharmaceuticals sector. The country also has a large pool of scientists and engineers with a potential to steer the industry ahead to greater heights. Presently, over 80% of the antiretroviral drugs used globally to combat AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) are supplied by Indian pharmaceutical firms. The pharmaceutical industry in India ranks 3rd in the world terms of volume and 14th in terms of value. 20% of global exports in generics, making it the largest provider of generic medicines globally.
Paracetamol is a well-established treatment, recommended by healthcare organizations globally, for fever reduction and mild to moderate pain relief in adults and children aged two months and over.1 Paracetamol has been available for more than 60 years and is used by millions of patients worldwide. Paracetamol is currently recommended by public health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO), as part of symptomatic treatment to relieve mild to moderate pain and reduce fever in COVID-19.
· Headache Swiss: Austrian and German headache societies state that Paracetamol with caffeine is also used in Headache. In India paracetamol is also prescribed to relieve headache. Paracetamol is also used to relieve migraine in some countries.
· Toothache: Some studies show that paracetamol is also used in pain of tooth.
· Menstrual Period Pain: Paracetamol is often prescribe with Dicyclomine Hydrochloride or Mefenamic Acid to relieve pain during menstrual period.
Tablet segment holds the major share of the market as it is most commonly used form of paracetamol. Huge amounts of paracetamol are used to treat pain. According to University of Oxford, an estimate of the amount of paracetamol sold is just under 6,300 tonnes a year in the United Kingdom. That is 35 tonnes per million of population, 35 grams or 70 paracetamol tablets each, every year.
India’s domestic pharmaceutical market turnover reached Rs 1.4 lakh crore (US$ 20.03 billion) in 2019, up 9.8% y-o-y from Rs 129,015 crore (US$ 18.12 billion) in 2018. The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the third largest in the world in terms of volume of output and thirteenth in domestic demand. However, the Indian industry, valued at USD 17 bn in represented just over 1% of the global pharmaceutical industry (USD 1700 bn) in value terms. The domestic market is estimated at Rs. 680 bn. India has the world's third largest active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for the industry valued at a little less than USD 2 bn. Top 5 API producers account for approximately 6.5 %. The leading APIs are anti-infective, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and respiratory drugs. As a whole there is a good scope for new entrepreneur to invest in this business.
Few Indian major players
1. Alpha Remedies Ltd.
2. Alta Laboratories Ltd.
3. Farmson Pharmaceutical Gujarat Pvt. Ltd.
4. Granules India Ltd.
5. Haffkine Ajintha Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
6. Nalin Chemicals Ltd.
