Majority of the pharmacy colleges in the country were unable to apply for the much-hyped Pharm D, proposed and drafted by the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), as the PCI notification states that only those colleges approved by it are eligible to apply for the course.

According to sources, there are more than 800 colleges across the country, which have the approval of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and out of it only around 400 colleges have the approval of PCI. Most of these colleges have come up during the last four years and all of them are unable to apply for the newly projected Pharma D course, as they do not have the PCI approval. Sources stated that the PCI grants its approval to the newly formed colleges only when the first batch comes out of the college. As the last date to apply for the Pharm D course ended on July 31, 2008, most of the colleges were unable to apply for the much-hyped course.

Speaking to Pharmabiz, B Suresh, president, Pharmacy Council of India, said, "Only those colleges having the approval of PCI are eligible to apply for the six year Pharm D course. The colleges approved by the PCI have the already established facilities and faculty." He further stated that those do not have the PCI approval have come up in the last three to four years and such colleges would not be efficient to conduct this kind of a programme as it needs established facilities and efficient faculty.

In Andhra Pradesh, out of the 249 colleges only 35 are eligible to apply for the course. Sources said that rest of the colleges had come up in the last three to four years.

Commenting on the issue an AICTE official, said, majority of the colleges will not be able to apply for the Pharma D course, as only those colleges approved by the PCI are eligible to apply for it. Moreover, most of the established government colleges also would not be able to apply for it, as the application fee of Rs 2 lakh is too high to affordable for them. He further stated that the PCI has never consulted with the AICTE on this regard.