The Indian Pharmaceutical Congress Association (IPCA), the organizing body of the largest annual pharma event in the country -the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC) for the last 56 years-is in the midst of a crisis due to the dissent of four constituent organizations against the dominance of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA), and over issues like lack of proper representation and benefit sharing.

IPCA is a federating body comprising the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA), The Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association (IPGA), The Indian Hospital Pharmacists Association (IHPA), Association of Pharmacy Teachers of India (APTI) and All India Drug Control Officers Confederation (AIDCOC).

According to the information available with Pharmabiz, IPGA, IHPA, APTI and AIDCOC have informed the IPCA Secretariat that the four organizations would be forced to break away unless proper representation is given in the conduct of IPCA and in benefit sharing. Though the organizations had expressed their dissent even before the Calcutta IPC, then the IPCA had not discussed the issues.

Following this, the IPCA has now constituted a committee headed by Gopalakrishna Moorthy of Hyderabad, an industry veteran and instrumental in the formation of rules and by-laws of IPCA, to suggest new by-laws and framework in the functioning of IPCA, obliviously to pacify the rebels. The committee also has one member each from the member associations.

The committee will present the new set of by-laws and recommendations before the IPCA executive committee meeting to be held in Chennai, likely by end of March, this year. If passed and accepted by the IPCA executive committee with their suggestions, the recommendations have to be placed before the AGM of IPCA for its acceptance.

The dissenting organizations point out that at present though the five organizations are equally responsible for conducting the IPC and other activities of IPCA, their representation is not adequate in the IPCA. While IPA dominates IPCA with 8 members, the representation for other associations is limited to only 2 members each. (Apart from this, 5 members from the Local Organizing Committee (LoC) of each year IPC venue also qualify as IPCA members). This has caused the annual IPCs, the most glamorous pharma event in India, more or less a show by IPA sideling the other members.

Further, the associations also complain the IPCA (read as IPA) was not willing to equally share the benefits from conducting IPCs with the other organizations. From each of the delegates attending the annual IPCs, IPCA would get Rs 100 as its share.

When Pharmabiz contacted S.Lakshminarayanan, Treasurer, IPCA, he contradicted the allegation pointing out the IPCA has to spend two to three lakhs every year alone on publishing the abstracts and other promotions related to every annual IPCs. Now IPCA has funds to the tune of Rs 30 lakhs, including the Rs 5 lakhs contributed by IPC Chennai and Rs 3 lakhs from IPC Kolkotha.

"Now IPCA has strong financial back up. We are also in favour of more involvement and representation to the other constituent members. When IPCA was formed half a century ago, other members of IPCA were not big and IPA was mainly conducting the IPCs. Now they also have become bigger and stronger organizations. We are mentally prepared to accept their demands," said Lakshminarayanan, also honorary secretary of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association Tamil Nadu and IPA, Tamil Nadu.

The present IPCA committee is located in Chennai and is responsible for conducting the IPCs at Chennai, Kolkotha and the 57th IPC at Hyderabad.