For better coordination between the industry and the government and also to make the entire drug regulatory system more transparent, the Union health ministry will soon form an Advisory Forum which to act as a platform to discuss and resolve the common issues between the government and the industry in a coordinated manner. Union health minister, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss is learnt to have given his in-principle approval for the formation of such a Forum.

Though the nitty-gritties of the formation of the Forum is yet to be decided, it will have representatives from industry associations, consumer forums, NGOs besides regulators. The Forum will meet periodically to discuss the issues related to the industry.

Sources said that Dr Ramadoss has already given instructions to joint secretary in the health ministry, Devashish Panda to take the necessary steps for the formation of an Advisory Forum at the earliest. The minister has also instructed to include consumer forums in the proposed Forum. Apart from representatives of major industry associations like OPPI, IPA, IDMA, CIPI, SPIC and FOPE, the Forum will have representation from biotech industry, medical devices industry and vaccines to make it a wider body.

Though the industry for some time has been demanding formation of such a mechanism for better coordination between the government and the industry, the latest initiative in this regard was taken by the FOPE. In a meeting between the industry and the minister, FOPE raised the issue and convinced the minister about the need to constitute a body for better coordination between the government and the industry.

There is a predominant view among the industry that it was due to lack of coordination between the government and the industry in the absence of any proper mechanism that the entire FDC issue was dragged to the court. If there was a proper forum to discuss the FDC issue before taking any final decision, the FDC issue would have been resolved long back, the industry felt.