Choosing a Pharmaceutical Export Partner: 12 Questions That Reveal Everything
Price lists look identical. Quality systems don't. The due-diligence questions that expose whether an Indian pharma exporter can actually support your market.
Every exporter's brochure claims WHO-GMP quality, competitive pricing and global reach. The differences appear under specific questioning — and the best suppliers enjoy the questions, because detailed answers are their competitive advantage. Ask these twelve before your first order.
On manufacturing and quality
One: Which facility manufactures each quoted product, and can you share its WHO-GMP certificate and site master file? Two: When did your own QA team last audit that site, and can we see the audit summary format? Three: Do you provide batch-wise Certificates of Analysis, and from which laboratories? Four: What stability data exists for our climatic zone? A supplier who answers all four in writing, product by product, is telling you their documentation chain is real.
On regulatory and market support
Five: Who prepares your dossiers, in-house or outsourced? Six: What is your standard turnaround on health-authority deficiency letters? Seven: Which registrations have you supported in our region — and may we contact one reference? Eight: Who holds the marketing authorization in our market, you or us? (The correct answer is you.)
On commercial substance
Nine: What remaining shelf life do you commit at delivery? Ten: What are your actual MOQs by dosage form? Eleven: How do you handle a rejected batch or a quality complaint — walk us through the last one? Twelve: Will you sign territory protection for products we register?
Notice that none of the twelve questions is about price. Price differences between competent Indian exporters rarely exceed a few percent; the differences in documentation, registration speed and supply reliability decide whether your business grows or stalls. Interrogate the system, then negotiate the number.