Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) is planning formal agreements with Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to include Indian Pharmacopoeia in pharmacy curriculum in a big way. Though the pharmacy students are currently required to understand the basics of IP during their course period, IPC intends to augment this as part of their attempt to popularise IP among budding professionals.

According to Dr G N Singh, Member Secretary, IPC, initial talks with PCI representatives over the subject were very encouraging and the same is to happen with AICTE. The IPC is likely to ask both PCI and AICTE to instruct each pharmacy college to purchase a copy of the forthcoming edition of IP as an essential reference book. They may also come out with cheap paper back editions, or announce differential pricing system for IP being sold to educational institutions and students.

The commission is also planning to come out with a vision statement for IPC. The vision statement, to be ready in a month's time, would chart out its long term as well as short term plans and programmes, Dr Singh informed.

Interestingly, the IP addendum brought out by IPC recently is receiving good response from the industry. The monographs on large volume parentarels, anti-retroviral drugs and plant based drugs that are part of the addendum has been looked at with great interest, Dr Singh, said.