The medicine in short supply in the US is Ifosfamide injection (1g, and 3g), used in treating testicular cancer, and the Indian Drug Manufacturers Association and the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance have been contacted for its supply. | Photo Credit: andresr

The latest request for a cancer drug from Indian drugmakers by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) points to the reliability of domestic companies in supplying affordable medicine, say industry insiders, at a time when governments across the world are caught up in talks involving trade, tariffs and wars in different parts of the world.

The medicine in short supply in the US is Ifosfamide injection (1g, and 3g), used in treating testicular cancer, and the Indian Drug Manufacturers Association and the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance have been contacted for its supply.

In the past, the US has faced drug shortages due to manufacturing disruptions in the country, sometimes following the enforcement of stringent quality rules. In May 2023, for example, 16 oncology drugs, including the chemotherapy drugs Cisplatin and Carboplatin, were in short supply, partly due to the shutdown of facilities for quality reasons, a top USFDA representative had then told a gathering of the pharmaceutical industry in Mumbai.

In fact, these two chemotherapy drugs were recently in short supply in India as well due to a price increase in platinum – a fallout from the war in West Asia. The Centre eventually approved a 50 per cent price increase on these drugs to re-ignite local supplies.  

Short supplies

On the latest US requirement, IDMA national spokesperson Viranchi Shah told businessline that the USFDA’s India office had contacted the government and IDMA for the supply of the particular cancer drug, following a short supply resulting from a manufacturing site disruption.

Sometimes the US and Europe see shortages of such specialised drugs, as there are often limited producers of such drugs and any disruption could affect supplies, he said. Both regions have stringent regulatory benchmarks, he added.  In this case, the Baxter site was a major player, and “it is like an SOS,” he said, being a cancer drug. Companies like Zydus, Aurobindo and Alkem are some of the makers of this drug, he said. During Covid too, the Trump administration had secured supplies of Hydroxychloroquine, as a possible preventive, from Indian companies.  

Sudarshan Jain, IPA secretary general, confirmed that the US embassy in India had contacted them on the same drug, and they had communicated the request to their members. IPA represents large domestic drugmakers.

Some industry representatives delink the supply of generic drugs to other countries, especially at a time of need, saying local companies have always stepped up, be it for vaccines, HIV medicines and so on. But industry-watchers point out that the latest supply request from the US reinforces the local industry’s role in supplying affordable medicines, and it comes against the backdrop of trade discussions, even as generic drugs have been kept out of the ambit of US tariffs till now.

Published on June 24, 2026