Task force to look into pharma industry’s problems: Azad

MUMBAI - Assuring the Indian pharma industry of the government’s support, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad Saturday said the government has decided to constitute a task force to look into its problems.

In a meeting held here Saturday with representatives of pharma industry, Azad also asked pharma companies to ensure that the essential drugs reached the poorer sections of the society.

“The task force would look into all the policy related, inter-ministerial and centre-state issues in the health sector,” he said.

“The government would look into drug price control related issues and also come up with a long-term policy for the pharma industry. The ministry would issue directions to extend the Certificate of Pharmaceutical Products (COPP) from two to three years,” Azad said.

“The Indian pharma industry representatives would be part of delegations to international summits and WHO meetings so as to present a strong case for India,” he added.

Azad assured the meeting that the ministry will issue necessary directions to states and union territories under Section 33P of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act so that the genuine manufacturers were not harassed under various provisions of the spurious drugs law.

“The Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) will complete the process of examining the remaining 127 Fixed Dose Combinations (FDC) of the 294 FDCs soon,” he said.

The meeting was attended by chiefs of Cadila Healthcare, Wockhardt, Piramal Healthcare, Biocon, Aurobindo Pharma, Torrent Group and Sun Pharma amongst others.