Syringe companies feel the pain as vaccination rate dips

The syringe and needle manufacturing trade is in for a troublesome yr, amid tepid demand as the speed of Covid vaccination drops. Syringe makers have began to repurpose their machines to supply commonplace disposable syringes for healing healthcare drug supply and are aiming to penetrate abroad untapped markets.

Rajiv Nath, managing director at Hindustan Syringes & Medical Units (HMD), stated his firm has decreased manufacturing of syringes drastically. “We’ve big un-lifted shares – round 90 million AD (auto disposable) syringes and 20 million 1 ml disposable syringes – that we hope shall be dispatched by April. These have been made for Unicef, authorities of India and PAHO (Pan American Well being Group). The orders bought rescheduled by over a yr,” he stated.

Manufacturing of AD immunisation syringes at its crops has fallen from 4.5-5.0 million models per day a yr in the past to 500,000-600,000 now. “We’re repurposing our machines to supply commonplace disposable syringes for healing healthcare drug supply and want to penetrate abroad markets,” Nath stated.

India in FY22 exported greater than 4.13 billion syringes with and with out needles, whereas additionally importing 7.96 billion syringes. For the 9 months ended December 31, 2022, imports have been 6.17 billion syringes, up from 6.06 billion a yr earlier, stated Nath, who can also be president of the All India Syringe and Needle Producers Affiliation (AISNMA).