Union government is working to seriously consider the proposals put forth by the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) on the setting up of a Central Drug Authority (CDA) in the country. The CDA will be a regulatory approval hub for the pharma sector.

The CDA will be manned by an expert who is adept in regulatory affairs, research and manufacturing. The authority will be supported by a cadre of regulatory personnel. There will also been separate divisions to oversee operations of sectors like biotechnology, medical devices, new chemical entities and clinical research.

The four-pronged resolutions of the IPA were announced at the 58th session of the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress being held at Mumbai, which took off at the Bombay Exhibition grounds here today.

According to the resolutions of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA), all efforts were being made to set up the Pharmaceutical Sciences University at Hyderabad which is being developed to focus on the challenging drug development areas of oncology and genetic disorders and support them with ample clinical research expertise.

In the areas of community pharmacy efforts are on to ensure good pharmacy practices are implemented through the Institute of Accreditation set up under the aegis of the Union government. Further, there will be a uniformity in the Pharmacy Education system, which will be supervised by the Pharmacy Education Board.

Krishna Dev, secretary, Indian Pharmaceutical Association, said that the resolutions of IPA are being considered by the Union government to give a fillip to the Indian Pharmaceutical sector, which is gaining global recognition.