Taking into consideration the rapid growth of the pharma industry in south India, the Drug Information Association-India (DIA-India) has opened its first chapter in Chennai, the hub of modern drug discovery in the southern states.
Drug Information Association (DIA), the professional association of more than 30,000 members worldwide who are involved in the discovery, development, regulation, surveillance and marketing of pharmaceuticals & related products, had started functioning in India sometime back. DIA, the non-profit, multi-disciplinary, neutral forum is committed to the broad dissemination of information among its members, with continuously improved professional practice as the goal.
While inaugurating the Chennai Chapter, V K Subburaju, the principal secretary, Health & Family Welfare, Tamil Nadu, said that Indian pharmaceutical industry has achieved a rapid growth rate and that calls for all around modernization of different areas of production. "In India we have now more than 20,000 registered drug manufacturing units, out of which about 250 are big companies. At the time of independence, the number of manufacturing companies was only about one hundred. Now the pharma industry is one of the most successful industries in the country with trained and scientific manpower, and its market is very vast. So imparting neutral information about drug development is essential," he said.
In the case of export, drug units in India are exporting their products to more than hundred countries. Some units are shipping even 50 percent of their products to foreign markets. He said when a new drug is manufactured or marketed, the information regarding that drug is given to the doctors either by advertisement or by salesmen. The drug information is necessary not only to the doctors but to the patients as well. It is required even for the manufacturers. Subburaju said in Andhra Pradesh, the department of health has launched a helpline for disseminating information on drug to the common man with a toll free number. The doctors do not have enough time to explain the details of the drug to the patients. In Chennai, in the general hospital alone, he said, more than ten thousand patients are coming per day for medical care. In such a situation the doctors cannot spend more than ten minutes with one patient. Whereas in developed countries patients are getting more than 20 minutes with the doctors, the health secretary observed.
He said another big problem the country is facing is the irrational combination of drugs. According to World Health Organisation, there are only 18 combination drugs in developed markets, but in India there are more than 300 combination products are in the market. Efforts have to be taken to regulate these irrational combinations, which cause serious harm to the patients. He added that since India is having huge disease burden, the demand of quality drugs was rising rapidly.
William Brassington, executive director, DIA, USA who chaired the meeting said for safe and effective drug development, discipline has to be observed in the process of drug discovery. Since a lot of clinical trial is taking place in India, training is an essential thing to be provided to those who are engaged in drug discovery. Not only the domestic professionals, but also those from foreign countries can share their experiences mutually. There is a need for open communication between the industry and the regulators. One professional can talk another professional about the issues in the industry or in the process of development.
Sandeep Saxena, managing director of Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation said vast changes are taking place in the process of drug development and today's best medicine is becoming outdated tomorrow. So the doctors should be given the information about the newer drugs.
Dr Nandkumar Chodanker, chief mentor and executive director of Shasun Chemicals, who is the chairman of the Advisory Council of India for DIA-India, said the institutions, which are conducting clinical trials, would share the information with other members of the Association especially with the doctors, as they need it unbiasedly.
State drugs controller M Bhaskaran, Dr Annabelle Rajaseharan, HoD of Pharmacology, MAPIMS, Melmaruvathur, S Deb, general manager, GlaxoSmithKline, Mumbai, Dr Sultan Ghani, DIA-India and Dr J Mohanasundaram, dean, Stanley Medical College were among others who spoke on the occasion.