India to South Africa: Salbutamol Export Trade Route

The India to South Africa Salbutamol corridor is one of India's established pharmaceutical export routes, with 301 shipments documented worth a combined $35.9M USD. The route is dominated by CIPLA LIMITED, which alone accounts for roughly 94% of all export value, reflecting the consolidated nature of India's salbutamol manufacturing sector.

Across 9 active suppliers, the average shipment value stands at $119.2K USD — a figure that reflects both bulk commercial orders from large pharmaceutical companies and smaller specialty shipments. Sea freight dominates at 71% of all shipments, consistent with salbutamol's non-urgent bulk-order profile.

Shipment activity peaks during October–December, with an average transit time of 29 days port-to-port. The route has recorded an annual growth rate of 28.8%, placing it at rank #18 among India's top salbutamol export destinations globally.

On the import side, key buyers of Indian salbutamol in South Africa include MEDPRO PHARMACEUTICA (PTY) LTD, MEDPRO PHARMACEUTICA (PTY) LTD , MEDPRO PHARMACEUTICA PTY LTD and 20 others. MEDPRO PHARMACEUTICA (PTY) LTD is the single largest importer with 132 shipments valued at $31.0M USD.

India's salbutamol exports to South Africa are driven primarily by a handful of large-scale manufacturers. CIPLA LIMITED with 224 shipments leads the pack, a pattern common in generic pharmaceutical corridors where manufacturing scale creates significant cost advantages. The presence of 9 active exporters signals a competitive but concentrated market — buyers in South Africa benefit from supplier diversity while the top tier handles the majority of volume.

The top 3 suppliers — CIPLA LIMITED, CIPLA LIMITED , MACLEODS PHARMACEUTICALS LTD — together account for 100% of total trade value on this route. The average shipment value of $119.2K USD reflects primarily bulk commercial orders from large pharmaceutical distributors.

Beyond the primary product category, shipments on this route include closely related formulations such as duolin respules 2.5ml (ipratropium bromide 0.5mg+salbutamol sulphate 2.5mg (per 2.5ml) respules) [17136(packs)x12x5's] and duolin respules 2.5ml (ipratropium bromide 0.5mg+salbutamol sulphate 2.5mg (per 2.5ml) respules) [15600(packs)x12x5's], suggesting that buyers in South Africa tend to consolidate orders across related product lines from the same Indian supplier.

On the buying side, MEDPRO PHARMACEUTICA (PTY) LTD is the largest importer with 132 shipments worth $31.0M USD — representing 86% of all salbutamol imports from India on this route. A total of 23 buyers are active on this corridor.