Pharma exports after the Afghan border closure: the search for new markets
With crossings to Pakistan’s largest medicine market shut since October 2025, exports fell 27.67% in July–February FY26. What exporters are facing.
In this article
Pakistan’s pharmaceutical exporters have had a difficult year, and the main reason is a single market.
The numbers
Pharmaceutical exports were $230.895 million in July–February 2025-26, down 27.67% from $319.231 million a year earlier, APP reported in April 2026, citing the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Volumes fell by a similar 27.82%. February 2026 showed some recovery, at $29.526 million, up 6.24% on February 2025.
Why: the Afghan market
The Torkham and Chaman crossings have been closed since October 2025, Business Recorder reported in January 2026. According to the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, medicine exports to Afghanistan are worth $150–200 million a year, about 35% of the total. Former PPMA chairman Dr Kaiser Waheed said trucks were stranded at the border and some firms had lost offices and sales teams in Afghanistan, while small quantities were being sent by air.
In FY25, exports of locally produced medicines reached $457 million and total therapeutic goods exports $909 million, the report said, adding that $1 billion could have been within reach in FY26.
What to watch
- Time to enter new markets: registering medicines in a new export market takes four to five years, the PPMA said.
- Competition: suppliers from Iran, India and Bangladesh are reported to be signing contracts to supply Afghanistan.
- Standards: regulated markets need internationally recognised GMP — see DRAP’s PIC/S plan.
Export growth was a central theme of the 2025 International Pharma Convention and returns at Pharma Asia 2026.
