Chennai: Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko has warned that the United States' latest decision to impose a steep 100 per cent import duty on medicines could deal a severe blow to India's pharmaceutical exports and trigger a wider trade crisis.

Quoting data from the World Trade Organization (WTO), Vaiko said pharmaceuticals form India's single largest industrial export segment.

Each year, India ships about $12.7 billion worth of medicines to the US, the bulk of which are generic drugs.

Generics are copies of patented medicines whose 20-year exclusive rights have expired, enabling any qualified company to manufacture and sell them.

While India also exports patented and branded drugs, their volume is far lower compared to generics. Indian firms such as

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