Boosted by its newly-accorded autonomy status, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) has initiated steps to revise and publish the National Formulary of India (NFI), which will be happening after a long gap. The last edition of the NFI came out in 1979.

The IPC will be taking up the challenging task in collaboration with the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) and has set up a high-power committee headed by IPA president Dr B Suresh. The panel will start working from this month as the IPC is hoping to publish the much-needed document within one year, sources said.

After revising the edition and making it timely in tune with the growth of Indian pharma industry, the Commission wants to publish the editions on a regular basis, so that it reaches the stakeholders as a book of references.
"The task is challenging and it will involve lots of work. So we have taken the help of stakeholder associations like the IPA. The panel has a number of experts to give direction to the massive effort and we hope to publish the NFI in one year," sources in the IPC said. Besides, the preparation of NFI also needs experiences and knowledge of doctors and pharmacists, and hence the IPA has been involved in the initiative being taken by the Commission.

Though the domestic industry has grown so fast and the IPC on its part initiated whole-hearted efforts to set the standards by publishing Indian Pharmacopoeia, the preparation and updating of the NFI could not be taken up for long. Modelled after British National Formulary in 1949, the first NFI appeared in 1960. The second edition came out in 1966. But no effort was made after 1979, whereas developed countries like UK publishes the document in every six months and make sure that it reaches the doctors and pharmacists across the country.

The NFI is expected to assist the practitioners on all preparations allowed to be prescribed in the country, with advice on how to choose the most suitable preparation. It would also encourage rational and economic prescribing. Besides, it can be of use to nurses and other health care professionals, apart from being an educational tool for medical and pharmacy students.