Former CSIR chairman Dr R A Mashelkar, who had recently presented his views before the Parliamentary panel headed by Amar Singh on the formation of the Central Drug Authority (CDA), is learnt to have asked the government to give the new body autonomous status and allow only professionals should head the organization.

According to sources, Dr Mashalkar, whose committee had earlier recommended the formation of CDA, has presented his views to the panel favouring the constitution of CDA to centralize the drug licensing system in the country. He also argued for providing autonomous status to the CDA for the speedy decision making and transparent functioning. Dr Mashalkar, who is a well known scientist, also argued that only professionals should head the CDA for the better understanding and functioning of the system.

After eliciting the views of Dr Mashalkar, the Parliamentary panel has wound up its deliberations on the Drugs and Cosmetics (Amendment) Bill 2007 which seeks to set up the CDA and is ready to table its report in Parliament in the forthcoming winter session which begins on October 17. The Amar Singh-led had already held several rounds of wide ranging discussions with the stakeholders like pharma industry associations, government officials, experts, organisations, NGOs and consumer forums.
It was waiting for hearing the views of Dr Mashalkar. The panel has been holding back drafting of recommendations as evidence from Mashelkar was viewed very significant, especially amid criticism that his original views, submitted in 2003 over the centralised licensing system, were misquoted in the proposed amendment to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

The bill to set up the CDA was presented in Rajya Sabha on August 21, 2007 and was later referred to the Parliamentary standing committee to examine and put forth its suggestions. The panel has also been examining the Clinical Establishments Bill 2007, seeking to make mandatory the registration of all clinical institutions in the country. The committee, had sittings at Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai and Hyderabad in the south. It also visited Indore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Goa in the west. For hearing the stakeholders from north and north east states, the committee had sittings in Delhi on both the bills.