Chinese paracetamol may be slapped with dumping duty

The Directorate of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties, under the ministry of commerce and industry, has recommended provisional anti-dumping duties on paracetamol from China and Taiwan. This followed an investigation against imports of the commonly used drug on basis of a petition filed by three domestic companies - Hyderabad-based Triton Laboratories and Sri Krishna Pharmaceuticals; Solapur based Vamsi Labs, and Vijayawada-based Srinivasa Agro Industries and Drugs. These investigations were conducted from April 1999 to September 2000.

Though the drug had been imported for quite some time the Directorate said the imports had gone up considerably of late.

However 40 days time has been given for interested parties to come forward and explain their positions before any final decisions would be taken the Directorate added.

Though the domestic market had grown over the past, the importer had slashed the prices of the imported drug thereby forcing the domestic market to sell below its non-injurious price, which the domestic market could not recover. Hence the anti dumping duties, the Directorate added.