On March 29, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind signed an agreement in Bolivia with his counterpart Evo Morales in which he pledged to provide a US$100 million loan to support the creation of a pharmaceutical industry to produce low-cost cancer drugs. Bolivian Vice President Álvaro García Linera explained in statements to the press that they are working on a “technical, material and scientific scheme so that Bolivians can be treated for cancer across all specialties.”

In the same vein, the Indian head of government also traveled to Chile April 1st, where he met with President Sebastián Piñera, and signed various agreements to strengthen trade ties between the two countries. Referring to the pharmaceutical sector, Kovind said Indian companies want to “strengthen their presence” in the Chilean drug industry.

The moves come on the back of a visit to India in February by Argentine President Mauricio where he signed related agreements with Prime Minister Nerenda Modi. As part of that visit, both nations highlighted the importance of concluding enabling instruments on Cooperation in the Field of Regulation of Pharmaceutical Products, facilitating, among other things, the exchange of information on procedures for the inspection and registration of pharmaceutical products, and efficient communication channels between analogous institutions.