Pakistan’s pharmaceutical exports have reached a 20-year high of $457 million in FY2025, registering 34% growth, as Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal called on the pharmaceutical industry to build on this momentum and work with the government to make Pakistan a competitive, innovation-driven and globally export-oriented pharmaceutical hub.
The Minister Ahsan Iqbal chaired a roundtable conference with pharmaceutical industry experts and stakeholders in Islamabad. Adviser to the Prime Minister for Industries and Production Division Mr. Haroon Akhtar Khan and Federal Minister for Health Mr. Mustafa Kamal were also present.
The Planning Minister said the pharmaceutical roundtable was convened to move beyond a conventional consultation and bring government, industry, academia and research institutions together to develop practical solutions for taking Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry to the next level.
Prof. Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan must move beyond incremental export growth and reiterated the national ambition of achieving $100 billion-plus exports by 2035.
He asked the pharmaceutical industry to define how much it can contribute to this national export target, identify its growth potential and clearly point out the regulatory, administrative, financing, production and market-access barriers that are preventing it from reaching global markets.
The Minister said the challenge was no longer simply to generate another $10 billion or $20 billion in pharmaceutical exports.
“The question is whether, in the next 10 years, we can make Pakistan a pharmaceutical hub of the world.”
He called for Pakistan to build the missing links in its domestic and international value chains and develop the sector to a level where “Made in Pakistan” becomes a mark of quality and trust in global pharmaceutical markets.
As a concrete next step, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal proposed that the pharmaceutical industry conduct a one-month internal consultation and workshop involving all relevant stakeholders.
The exercise should identify the industry’s priorities, challenges and future growth potential and produce a clear medium- and long-term roadmap extending to 2030 and beyond.
The roadmap is to be developed in consultation with the Ministry of Planning and should clearly set out the policies, reforms and government support required for sustainable growth of the pharmaceutical industry.
The Minister said the government’s role was to facilitate the private sector, create a conducive business environment and ensure continuity of policies that enable industries to grow, innovate and compete globally.
“We will extend our full support to the pharmaceutical industry and work with you to identify what policy and institutional support is required from the government,” he said.
The pharmaceutical sector recorded PKR 523 billion in FY2025 revenue, up 19.4%, while exports reached $457 million. The industry currently has 662 manufacturers in operation.
The sector roadmap presented at the roundtable sets out a progression from $457 million in FY2025 exports to a $2 billion industry target, followed by $3 billion through PharmEx within three years and $10 billion within eight years.
Ahsan Iqbal said the current export performance should be used as a launchpad for much greater export ambitions, with industry required to identify the actions necessary to achieve these targets.
The Minister stressed that international regulatory compliance and quality standards must become central to the sector’s export strategy.
Pakistan currently has access to 52 WHO Level 2 markets, while WHO Level 3 status is targeted for April 2027, potentially opening access to more than 150 markets.
Eight Pakistani pharmaceutical companies already hold WHO, PIC/S or MHRA approvals, while another 10–15 companies are expected to secure international approvals by 2028.
The industry was asked to identify the regulatory gaps that must be addressed to enable more Pakistani companies and products to enter sophisticated and regulated international markets.
The roundtable also identified export-market concentration as a key challenge.
Ahsan Iqbal also called for reducing import dependence and strengthen domestic pharmaceutical capabilities.
Around 85% of APIs are imported, while China supplies approximately 85–90% of Pakistan’s APIs.
The Minister called for greater focus on research, innovation, technology and higher-value pharmaceutical manufacturing, so that Pakistan can strengthen its domestic value chain and capture greater value from pharmaceutical production.
Ahsan Iqbal called for stronger partnerships between universities, pharmacy departments, research institutions and pharmaceutical companies.
He said Pakistan had invested billions of rupees in universities, laboratories and human-resource development, but these capabilities must be connected more directly with industry. Laboratories, he stressed, should produce new knowledge for Pakistan rather than serving only academic output.
He said Pakistan’s human, technological and scientific capabilities could generate exponential gains if effectively connected with industry.
The Minister called for regulatory reform that ensures compliance and standards while facilitating industry development.
He said regulation should not function merely as an enforcement mechanism. Industry stakeholders were asked to identify regulatory and administrative hurdles that restrict growth so that government could address them.
The objective, he said, was to provide the industry with a “clean runway” from which it could take its export efforts to global markets.
Ahsan Iqbal called upon the pharmaceutical industry to respond with clear priorities, measurable export targets, identified bottlenecks and practical recommendations, while the government works to provide the required policy and institutional support.
The proposed one-month industry consultation and 2030-and-beyond roadmap will provide a structured basis for aligning industry priorities with government policies, reforms and support.
The purpose of these consultations is clear: build on the $457 million export milestone, remove regulatory and value-chain bottlenecks, strengthen research and innovation, diversify international markets, localise production and develop Pakistan into a competitive global pharmaceutical hub capable of contributing to the country’s $100 billion-plus export ambition by 2035.
The dialogue was part of a consultative series organised by the Planning Commission of Pakistan, aimed at promoting Pakistan’s high-value export sectors and clusters.
