The Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil) may join hands with Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Union Health Ministry to ensure that India hosts the next edition of International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities (ICDRAs). The event can be of significant interest to export oriented Indian companies as it provides a rare opportunity to showcase Indian manufacturing strengths and quality consciousness to the drug authorities across the world.
The biennial event provides drug regulatory authorities of WHO Member States with a forum to meet and discuss ways to strengthen collaboration. The ICDRAs have been instrumental in guiding regulatory authorities, WHO and interested stakeholders and in determining priorities for action in national and international regulation of medicines, vaccines, biomedicines and herbals.
The conferences have been held since 1980 with the aim of promoting exchange of information and collaborative approaches to issues of common concern. As a platform established to develop international consensus, the ICDRA continues to be an important tool for WHO and drug regulatory authorities in their efforts to harmonize regulation and improve the safety, efficacy and quality of medicines. Regulatory authorities are continually faced with new issues - such as globalization and extension of free trade - while increased responsibilities from expansion of the market and the improvement and sophistication of products place heavy demands on regulatory systems and knowledge bases. The development of cutting edge technologies and health care techniques and extensive use of the Internet impose further complex challenges.
The ICDRA programme is developed by a planning committee of representative drug regulators. Topics discussed during the four days of the ICDRA, may include quality issues, herbal medicines, homeopathy, regulatory reform, medicines safety, counterfeiting, access, regulation of clinical trials, harmonization, new technologies and e-commerce. Recommendations are proposed for action among agencies, WHO and related institutions.
The latest ICDRA (12th edition) ended in Seoul during April 2006. India is known to have expressed its interest in hosting the next conference scheduled for 2008 at that meeting. With Pharmexcil planning to rally behind all concerned ministries in support of the conference, a thorough follow up to ensure the next slot is certain.