The 68th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC) scheduled to be held from December 16-18, 2016 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh with its theme as ‘Quality Pharmaceuticals and Patient Welfare’ will be recognised by the Pharmacy of Council of India (PCI) as continuing pharmacy education (CPE) certificates.
 
As per the Pharmacy Practice Regulations 2015, the continuing education requirements for pharmacy professionals calls for at least 2 refresher courses or continuing pharmacy education programmes in five years. In a recent Central Council meeting, PCI has decided to recognize the IPC sessions as a refresher course or CPE under Regulation 4.2 (IV) of PP Regulations 2015 in response to a request letter sent by the Local Organising Committee of the 68th IPC.
 
The Council has decided to track the attendance at the sessions with  barcode readers. This mandates that the delegates have to attend the sessions in full in order to become eligible to receive the CEP certificates.
 
The annual event is hosted by the Indian Pharmaceutical Associations (IPA) and supported by the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA), Pharmexcil, the Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association (IDMA) and the Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI).
 
The 3-day event includes a pre-congress workshop, plenary lectures, short courses and symposia, pharma expo, pharma quiz, national elocution competition and a placement conclave for the students. IPC Expo 2016 will exhibit pharma technology, machinery, services providers, laboratory equipment, publications and offering from educational institutes.
 
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has accepted to be the chief patron and inaugurate the event on December 16, 2015. He is also expected to address a Pharma CEO conclave after the inauguration. The event will he be held at the Andhra University campus and its Vice-Chancellor Prof.G. Nageswara Rao has consented to be a patron of the 68th IPC.
 
The Congress is inviting over 50 international and national scientists to speak at the  symposium. Some of thetopics include: Recent trends in Medical Technology and Medical Devices, Effective drug delivery, importance of API and excipient interaction, Making innovations work for patient-centric treatments, Opportunities, and challenges in drug discovery and development, Advances in pharmacy practice, Pharmacists adding value to patient care, Health economics and outcomes research for India, and Pharmacists and medications safety are expected to cater to the interested industry, academia, regulatory, practicing pharmacists as well as students.