The Confederation of Indian Pharmaceutical Industries' (CIPI) two-day executive committee meeting to select its new office-bearers will be held in Chennai from February 2. Unlike in the past, the meeting is expected to be a smooth one as the dissentions among the rank and file of the organisation have somewhat died down after the organisation's proactive role in the FDC issue.
When the DCGI began his campaign against the fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs in June last year, it was the SSI-dominated CIPI which showed the audacity to tread the dreaded path of moving court against the DCGI order which resulted in getting the much needed time to the industry to liquidate the stocks. Other organisations like IDMA and IPA, representing the big names in the industry, remained just a spectator.
Fresh from its victory in getting the much needed stay order from the Madras high court on the DCGI's order asking the state drug controllers to take action against the FDC drugs, the CIPI meeting this time will be bereft of the usual criticism by a section of its members about the organisation being passive in many matters related to the SSIs.
According to sources, the meeting will be a smooth affair and the new chairman will be elected by consensus rather than voting. If the present chairman T Jaishankar insists on relinquishing the office, the automatic choice for the post will be the present co-chairman PK Gupta. In such a scenario, Jaishankar will be made the patron of the organisation that claims to have more than 5,000 members spread across the length and breadth of the country.
Meanwhile, a section of the members are keeping aloof from the meeting due to the differences with the office-bearers on many issues. It may be noted that some members of the CIPI have already formed another organisation called SPIC.
The SPIC was formed some months ago largely due to the neutral stand taken by CIPI on the issue of withdrawal of excise benefit to the contract manufacturers in the excise free zones like Baddi and Uttaranchal.
While a section of the members wanted the CIPI to work on withdrawing excise benefit to the contract manufacturers in the excise free zones, CIPI maintained a neutral stand on the issue on the plea that this is a local issue and the CIPI will interfere for common causes only, leaving the state chapters of the organisation to take necessary action.