According to the United Nations COMTRADE database, the UK imported $1.01 billion in pharmaceutical products from India in 2025. Depending on currency fluctuations, this fluctuates very close to £700 million to £800 million in direct sterling value
• Indian pharmaceutical exports to the UK reached $902.96 million for the 2025–26 financial year.
• Growth Projections: Driven by the newly operational India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), imports are projected to grow by 8.66%, approaching $981 million.
The trade value only tells part of the story. The UK's reliance on India is uniquely concentrated in two distinct areas:
• Generic Formulations: Around 89.5% of what the UK imports from India arrives as fully finished generic drug formulations and biologicals (pills, capsules, injectables) rather than raw chemicals. This directly stocks NHS pharmacies with affordable everyday medications.
• Asymmetric Trade Dependency: India maintains a massive pharmaceutical trade surplus with the UK. While the UK imports roughly $1 billion from India, it only exports about $135 million in highly specialized ingredients and surgical equipment back to India.
The House of Lords Public Services Committee published a report warning that medicines security must be treated as a national security issue. Given that India supplies nearly a quarter of the UK’s generic medicines, a sudden, total halt in trade would trigger a systemic crisis.
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