Mumbai, Nov. 24 -- Uzbekistan has asked Indian pharmaceutical companies to explore its USD 1.3 billion medical drug market by setting up their manufacturing base and make this industry a key driver of Uzbek economy, said Alisher Temirov, Deputy Minister, Pharmaceutical Industry Development of Uzbekistan during a meeting on 'Doing Business with Uzbekistan' organized by the MVIRDC World Trade Center - a trade facilitating body and All India Association of Industries - an industry body.

Uzbekistan has announced six pharmaceutical Free Economic Zones (FEZs) through a presidential decree to herald a new era in the country's history.

So far, 18 new projects have been proposed with potential for 600 new drug manufacturing in these zones, said ...