The delegates from the Indian Pharmacopoeia and the European Directorate for Quality of Medicines (EDQM) will meet again in the last week of November in Mumbai for further talks about granting observer status to India by the European standardisation authority.

Both the sides already had a couple of meetings and interactions after the British Pharmacopoeia evinced keen interest in building working relations through mutually benefiting collaborations on improving the standards.

Organisations like IPA, IDMA and others are associating with the meeting aimed at resolving remaining issues and exploring further possibilities of partnership, sources said. Talks would be held on harmonising quality of drugs in both the regions as the British Pharmacopoeia represents 34 nations.

The tie-up, besides exchanging vital information and boosting standards, would also help Indian pharmaceutical companies to increase its exports to the European market. China and Japan at present enjoy similar status with the European Commission.

With India emerging as a major force in the global pharma market, the western countries were keen to forge more alliances with the country. And a series of meetings were already held with the British counterpart. The working relation with British counterpart will definitely help improve the data and process of improving the drug standards of our country, sources said.

After the preliminary rounds of interactions, the senior officials of the British body are understood to have briefed the higher authorities about the prospects of the mutual collaboration.

IPC had signed a similar Memorandum of Understanding with the USP Convention on August 1, in New Delhi and both the sides have been doing regular interactions and tele-conferences ever since and held a number of scientific meetings too.