The Jana Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), the Federation of Medical Representatives Association of India (FMRAI), the National Campaign Committee for Drug Policy (NCCDP) and the All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN), and the Indian office of WHO will soon come out with a 'Kolkotha Declaration' with comprehensive suggestions on India's pharmaceutical policy for the coming decade.

The declaration is based on the deliberations at the two-day national seminar on 'recent trends in pharmaceutical policy and access to essential medicines' held in Kolkata on April 16 and 17, 2005.

"We are in the process of finalizing the declaration, based on the opinion expressed at the workshop by various stakeholders in the healthcare sector. We will soon publicise this for the consideration of the various decision makers and the public as "Kolkotha Declaration," Dr. B Ikbal, former Vice Chancellor of Kerala University and National Convener of JSA told Pharmabiz.

Sources said the declaration would focus on suggesting a pharmaceutical policy under the perspective of health policy. Use of essential drug list and need for developing standard treatment guidelines and national medicine formulary were part of the deliberations. Need for regulating irrational medicines and irrational combination medicines, need for monitoring and ensuring production of bulk drugs while controlling dumping of bulk drugs and formulations, need for prioritizing production by the public sector, encouraging research in both private and public sector, options for biotechnology research and preparing guidelines and legislations for biotech research, price control mechanism of essential drugs etc. were discussed in detail at the meeting.

The meet also elaborately debated the issue of fake drugs in the market and suggested changes in Drugs & Cosmetic Act to safeguard the interests of consumers. Other issues discussed at the meeting included problems plagued with the SSI drug manufacturers, need for developing guidelines for contract research outsourcing, need to make ADR monitoring and post marketing surveillance mandatory in marketing of drugs, ethical promotion of medicines and the evils of biased drug information etc., said sources.

Numerous activists, academics, industry professionals, R&D scientists etc participated in the deliberations.

JSA is a network of 18 national networks that are engaged on issues related to health in the country with over 1000 organizations working at the state, district and panchayath levels. JSA is also the Indian chapter of Peoples Health Movement. NCCDP is a network of organizations associated with issues related to pharmaceutical policy and has its organizations of workers, scientists, women, students, youth etc., and is a campaign since 1986 for the formulation of a rational drug policy.

AIDAN is a platform of activists working on issues related to drug policy and has been active since 1981 in advocating a rational drug policy for India, creating resource material and awareness on related issues. FMRAI is the organization of medical reps with 43000 members and functioning through 287 centres.