RI slaps antidumping duty on antibiotics from India

RI slaps antidumping duty on antibiotics from India

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's Antidumping Committee (KADI) has
followed up a complaint by a local firm by imposing temporary
countervailing duties of 14 percent on imports of two commonly
prescribed antibiotics from India.

KADI's vice chairman Taufik Abbas said on Friday the
government resorted to the four-month-long duties because of the
uncooperative attitude of four Indian companies allegedly
involved in dumping ampicillin trihydrate and amoxycillin
trihydrate on the Indonesian market.

"The Indian companies refused to give explanations to the
investigation team," Taufik was quoted by Antara news agency as
saying.

Taufik said the committee had contacted Ranbaxy Laboratories
Ltd., Kopran Limited, Max-6B Limited and Morepen Lab. Ltd. by
letter through the Indian Embassy here, but received no response.

The antidumping duty imposed on all imports of the antibiotics
from Indian companies is stipulated in Minister of Finance Decree
No. 479/KMK.05/1998.

The ruling went into effect on Nov. 5.

The decree states the committee's initial investigations found
positive evidence the Indian companies dumped their products
here, causing great loss to the domestic industry.

"To prevent further loss during the investigation period, it
is deemed necessary to impose... temporary antidumping duties on
the imports of ampicillin trihydrate and amoxycillin trihydrate
from India," the decree states.

Private pharmaceutical firm PT Sandoz Biochemie Farma
Indonesia, a local producer of the two antibiotics, filed dumping
claims concerning imports of the two medicines.

Taufik acknowledged the commission investigated the dumping
claim filed by Sandoz on imported medicines from India.

He said the four Indian firms would be given the opportunity
to provide explanations to KADI during the next four months.

"But if after four months they still could not provide
information and refused to cooperate with the investigation team,
the antidumping duty will be final," he said. (gis)