The Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) has conferred this year's Eminent Pharmacist Award to regulatory veteran Gopal Krishna Murthy. The award has been presented to him at recently held Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC) at Mumbai. Murthy is the first to win this award from Andhra Pradesh.

The Eminent Pharmacist Award is given in recognition with ones outstanding contributions towards the advancement of pharmaceutical profession covering any of the fields of pharmacy such as Pharmaceutical Education, Pharmaceutical Research, Industrial Pharmacy, Community and Retail Pharmacy, Regulatory Affairs, Hospital and Clinical Pharmacy, or any other area connected with Health Care Programme.

Murthy has also won IPA Fellowship Award in the past. Fellowship of the IPA is an honour awarded to a member of the Association who has made distinguished outstanding contribution to Pharmacy profession and the activities of IPA. The IPA Fellowship is awarded on the recommendation of the selection committee, a specially constituted body, based on the evaluation of biographical profile of the nominated member.

He also won the Life Time Achievement Award instituted by the IPA, in the year 2003. Shastri and SN Desai also won the Award during the year.

Murthy served the AP drugs control department as director. He has the distinction of winning the three most significant awards of IPA-Fellowship Award, Eminent Pharmacist Award and Life Time Achievement Award.