Visakhapatnam Pharma Industry: Journey of India’s next big hub!

Visakhapatnam is India’s emerging pharma hub, with a thriving pharma city at Parawada and a MedTech cluster near Steel Plant. In this article, we shall share more about this growth engine and what lies ahead for Visakhapatnam Pharma Industry.

The Genesis: JNPC, Parawada

During the first term of YS Rajasekhar Reddy, it was decided to position Visakhapatnam as a pharma hub. This resulted in the establishment of Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City set up in PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model with Ramky group.

Spread over 2500 acres at Parawada, the Special Economic Zone was designated to be an integrated ecosystem with various pharma and allied industries.

Today, as per the SEZ’s website, there have been more than Rs 25,000 cr of investments and 104 companies, positioning Vizag as a booming pharma hub.

AMTZ – A Medical Devices Hub:

During N Chandrababu Naidu’s term as Chief Minister between 2014-19, Vizag took another leap with the establishment of Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ) in 270 acres adjacent to Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. This is India’s first ultra-modern medical equipment manufacturing and testing facility.

With over 100 companies, it is one of the largest medical technology manufacturing clusters in the world working in research, development and manufacturing of medical devices.

During the pandemic, the hub played a crucial role by producing over 100 ventilators, 500 oxygen concentrators, and 1 million RT PCR kits every day.

Upcoming developments:

As investments continue to pour in and with new developments taking shape, Vizag’s story has just begun. Here are two projects that give us that hope.

• Bulk Drug Park: Being established at Nakkapalli in the Anakapalle district, the bulk drug park will ensure continued investments in the region, bringing in significant revenue and employment.
• Global MedTech University: AMTZ has undertaken an ambitious project of establishing a university catering to medical technology. The AMTZ campus will house the university and is set up along with industry players in a PPP model. Classes are to begin with the 2025-26 batch.

Development suggestions:

Apart from the existing developments, here are some ideas suggested by concerned citizens:

• Expansion of AMTZ: With the 270 acres of AMTZ nearing complete exhaustion, providing more land to the facility would allow for investments and activity.
• Establish NIPER: National Institute for Pharmaceutical Education and Research is India’s premier institute for pharma related education and research. Establishing one in Visakhapatnam would be a shot in the arm, making the city an even more holistic hub.

This is our story on Visakhapatnam Pharma Industry, and its journey has a long way to go. We shall keep updating you with the latest developments. So, stay tuned to Yo! Vizag website and Instagram for more city and news updates.