H F Khorakiwala, chairman of Wockhardt Group will be the new president of Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA). He, vice president of IPA, succeeds Dr. K. Anji Reddy, chairman of Dr Reddy's Laboratories Limited. Dilip S Shanghvi, chairman & managing director of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited will be the new vice president.

The IPA, initially formed by eight national companies in November 1999, has now ten companies in its fold. They are:

Alembic, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Cadila Healthcare, Torrent Pharmaceuticals, Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Unichem Laboratories, Lupin Laboratories, USV Limited, Ranbaxy Laboratories, Wockhardt.

Collectively, their R&D spend at over Rs 500 crore in the year ended March 2003 accounted for 90 per cent of the total private sector spending in pharmaceutical research and development. These national companies' exports of drugs and pharmaceuticals are estimated at Rs 4,500 crore, that is more than one-third of the country's exports of drugs and pharmaceuticals, and they service over 30 per cent of the domestic market.

A brainchild of late Dr Parvinder Singh, the IPA, in a short span of four years, has emerged as a credible alternative capable of caring for all stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry. It has grasped the emerging scenario and has worked with the Government to steer the local industry to new heights.

The IPA had set for itself the following objectives when it was formed:

· Partnering the government in the evolution of a patent regime that will on the one hand meet the TRIPs obligations and on the other serve national interest;

· Engaging the government in constructive dialogue to move to price management from price control regime for the benefit of the consumer; and

· Working with the government in progressively upgrading regulatory provisions, procedures and standards for harmonization with those of the developed markets.