Dilip G Shah, secretary General of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), has been chosen as the chairman of the International Generic Pharmaceutical Alliance (IGPA).

He was selected for the top post during the Eighth Annual IGPA Conference held in St Julians, Malta, earlier this week. He succeeds Jim Keon, President of the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA), who completed his term of two years in the office.

The Canadian Drug Manufacturers Association (CDMA), the European Generic medicines Association (EGA) and the Generic Pharmaceutical Association GPhA of U.S.A founded IGPA in 1998. During 2002, IGPA accepted Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) as its member.

It represents over 500 companies involved in the generic medicines and active ingredient industry. These companies provide a substantial part of the pharmaceutical market in the European and North American regions, as well as being players in other regions like the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

IGPA aims to ensure that all consumers have access to affordable quality medicines and supports development of international and regional polices which seek to ensure access to medicinal care for all consumers. Promotion of balanced and generic friendly intellectual property rights in the pharmaceutical sector to ensure timely access to markets for members, encouraging the scientific development, professional awareness and general knowledge of generic medicines are also objectives of the association.

Further, the association is committed to promote the global harmonization of regulations relating to generic products and provides guidance to international organizations and national governments in improving the regulatory and legal expertise relating to the registration and marketing of generic medicines.

Promotion of uniform and effective GMP standards and quality controls for generic pharmaceuticals and their active ingredients, strict and effective controls to prevent the production and trade in counterfeit versions of generic and original brand medicines are objectives of the association, informed sources.