India, in the recent years, has gained the reputation of being the most promising country in the area of pharmaceutical research and development in the world. With a large genetic pool and the broad intellectual capability, the country would attract the world pharma leaders to invest large chunk of their research budget, says Dr Eric Noehrenberg, director, Intellectual Property and Trade Issues, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (IFPMA). Dr Eric Noehrenberg was addressing the 36th annual general meeting of Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI) in Mumbai on 14th September.

"Though there are few concerns about the intellectual property rights and the patent protection for the multinational companies in the country, the country has moved in right direction in the growth of pharmaceutical industry, and had the patent protection been made strong in the country, the growth in the R&D and the foreign direct investments in the pharmaceutical sector would have been much more faster, "Dr Noehrenberg said.

Welcoming the members and the guests at the 36thannual general meeting, the OPPI President, Ranjit Shahani said that while the new patent policy of the government of India is a positive step in right direction, it has ignored a vital criteria of competition. The industry had unanimously recommended that drugs with more than ten formulators should be excluded from price control. Market competition has proved to be the best regulator and such a reckoning would have facilitated the government's task of price monitoring.

"Since the new Pharmaceutical Policy has got embroiled in litigation resulting in undue delay, this has caused uncertainly. This is working as a deterrent for companies to go ahead with their business plans for investment and expansion," Shahani said.

Divulging more on the major issues which needs urgent government attention, Shahani said that while the industry welcomes the recent initiatives of NPPA in the form of interactions and dialogue with the industry, much headway is not made in resolving the industry issues. There is considerable scope for NPPA to assist the policy makers proactively in adopting a pragmatic and progreeive outlook towards industry's growth aspirations. "After all, NPPA is one of the few regulatory agencies, which has a close understanding of the technical and economic issues of this lifeline industry. NPPA can certainly play and instrumental role in facilitating the development of the industry," he added .

Similarly, though the industry has made repeated appeals to the Government to resolve the long standing issue of DPEA in just and fair manner. The unjustified and illogical claims raised by the Government on the industry under the old DPCO have been the subject of protracted controversies. The Government should adopt a flexible approach to remove the high degree of uncertainty on account of DPEA and restore the confidence e of the industry for higher investment, the OPPI president appealed in the AGM.

Stressing on the missions of the Organisation, the president said that the growing menace of counterfeit drugs has to be combated with greater conviction and determined action. However, the recent initiatives by the Directorate of Union Health Ministry and the machinery of the Drugs Controller General of India are appreciable but a stricter and uniform implementation of the legislation and deterrent punishments of the guilty are expected to yield better results, he opined.

In the AGM, the Industry Excellence Awards in various category were distributed. Y Thygarajan, managing director, Glaxo SmithKline India, and vice president, OPPI, Ramesh Subrahmanian, managing director, Aventis Pharma, Ajit Singh, chairman, Associated Capsules Group, Ajit Dangi, director general, OPPI, and R D Joshi, Secretary (regulatory affairs), OPPI, also addressed the members.