The Federation of Medical Representatives Associations of India (FMRAI) has submitted an action-plan to the Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister for the revival of ailing public sector pharmaceutical units by floating a holding company for effective intervention in the market.

To further mobilise public opinion from different quarters including political parties and press the matter, the FMRAI is planning a convention here in December. The convention will be attended by experts, representatives from the pharma industry and public interest groups, members of the National Rural Health Mission, and others from the Health Sector.

"We will go back to the Government again with the inputs from the convention and if needed we will think of a campaign in this regard,'' a spokesman said, even as terming their recent meeting with Chemicals Minister Ram Vilas Paswan as `positive.' They submitted their detailed action plan to the Centre in this regard.

The two issues to come up for discussion would be revival of PSUs and the rise in the prices of drugs in the markets and, the Federation felt that both the issues were inter-related too.

As per the recommendation by the FMRAI, the ailing public sector units should be brought under an umbrella body like a holding company so that it could make effective intervention in the market to keep a tab on the unhealthy practices of the private players. The prides could be brought down in the open market, if the pharma PSUs were working well, a leader of the Federation said.

"The new MRP regime has pushed the prices of drugs considerably and the multinationals are misusing the existing patent laws to make huge profits. The strengthening and revival of the public sector units in the pharma sector could be answer to check this ailment," he said.

If the public sector companies function in the form of a cluster, it can derive a lot of benefits and thereby produce good results. By functioning as one unit, the funds would flow in easily, raw material procurement can be done at a subsidized cost, exports and imports can be done with much ease and over all a common marketing team can also be introduced, he said.