European Pharmacopoeia Commission is keen on a working relationship with Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission and to include the monographs of herbals, especially Ayurvedic products from India, in the future editions of European Pharmacopoeia, according to Dr Claude Coune of European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM).

Speaking at a scientific session on `pharmacopoeias of the future' at the 59th IPC conference in Varanasi, he said they were currently working on a programme to include monographs of 100 Chinese herbals to begin with. Already 15 of them have been published, he said.

"We are also interested on monographs of herbal products from India, Africa and South America. But it will take some time and I cannot tell more on this. A separate unit is being set up to deal with this topic,'' he said.

Dr Ged Lee from British Pharmacopoeia and Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission secretary Dr G N Singh also made presentations at the session chaired by DCGI Dr M Venkateshwarulu.

To a question during the discussion, DCGI said there were no separate standard as of now for the medical devices which were treated as drugs. However, he said it would go for European stands as EU mark brought more recognition.

Dr Lee said the latest edition of British Pharmacopoeia, published in August this year, contained 3100 monographs, running into six volumes. It has 49 new monographs of national origin and a separate volume for veterinary monographs. Supplementary chapter on dissolution testing revised, a new chapter on pharmacopoeia quantative analysis, monographs on traditional herbal medicines and monographs on homeopathic preparations were the other features of the same.

Talking about the future tasks, he said a programme was on to promote generic substitutes. They were also targeting the harmonization of monographs of all European countries. Efforts would also be taken to have the registration of herbals from China, he said.

BP pharmacopoeia is used in 100 countries. It is legally enforced as a national standard in Australia and Canada. US FDA has recognized it recently as an alternative standard, he disclosed.

Dr Singh presented in detail the highlights of the just-published Indian Pharmacopoeia 2007 and said Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission was working towards collaborations with the EU and British Commissions, on the lines of its existing association with the US Pharmacopoeia Convention.

Dr Coune said European pharmacopoeia was having 36 countries under its umbrella and hence was reaching to millions across the continent.