Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) has announced "Pharmacists for Promotion of Future Free of Tobacco" as its theme for the National Pharmacy Week 2003 celebrations that begin on November 16. Promotion of future free of tobacco is one of the mandated objectives of SEAR Pharm Forum (FIP-WHO Forum of National Pharmaceutical Associations of SEA Region), of which IPA is an affiliate.

IPA, which has a membership of 10,000, is to promote the focal theme through out India with the active participation of 65 state and local branches. The NPW will also be used to sensitize large student community through 500 pharmacy institutions.

According to N K Gurbani, convener, NYK 2003 committee, tobacco annually kills 500,000 people annually in the country. "Pharmacists are expected to convey to the community that in addition to lung and oral cancer, tobacco also causes hair loss, cataracts, wrinkling skin, hearing loss, skin cancer, tooth decay, emphysema leading to difficulty in breathing, osteoporosis, heart diseases, stomach ulcer, discolored figures, uterine cancer and miscarriage, deformed sperms leading to impotency and infertility, psoriasis and Buerger's diseases leading to gangrene and amputation. The community pharmacists can certainly play an active role in reducing preventable deaths and diseases due to tobacco as a service to the society. They should actively promote Nicotine Replacement Therapy for cessation of smoking in chronic addicted smokers", he said.

FIP on its part has already created a Global Network of Pharmacists Against Tobacco. IPA is the national professional body of pharmacists engaged in various facets of the profession of pharmacy. The IPA is committed to promote the highest professional and ethical standards of pharmacy, focus the image of pharmacists as competent healthcare professionals, sensitize the community, government and others on vital professional issues and support pharmaceutical education and sciences in all aspects.