The Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has constituted a Pharmaceutical Advisory Forum for monitoring the price structure and availability of medicines in the country. The mammoth committee is to have members from all stakeholders and would hold regular meetings to advise the government on the drug pricing issues. The total number of members in this Forum is 160.

The Forum, the constitution of which was decided a week ago, will have representatives from the health departments of all states. It will have one member each from every state to represent the consumer organizations of the particular state. Officials from health ministry, chemicals and fertilizers, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) are to be part of the forum.

The brainchild of Ram Vilas Paswan, union minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, the forum, will also represent the industry organizations in an adequate manner. According to sources, the ministry will intimate organizations like Indian Drugs Manufacturers Association (IDMA), Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA), Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association (BDMA), All India Small Scale Drug Manufacturers Association, and several state level industry bodies about the setting up of the forum. The authorities will also include All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) in the forum, it is learnt.

According to official sources, the ministry has also identified the appropriate state level organizations that are participating in the forum. The primary intention of the forum would be to keep in check the prices of life saving drugs. It can also report about any shortage of drugs in any parts of the country for immediate remedial action.

It should be noted that the minister is meeting officials from health and finance ministries of all state governments on August 18 to discuss the possibilities of introducing a uniform price structure on drugs. Sources said that the setting up of the forum would also be a matter of discussion during the meeting.

Pharmaceutical industry expressed strong dissatisfaction over the limited representation given to it in the Forum. An industry source said that while state health ministers, bureaucrats from department of chemicals and health, central and state drug controllers, trade bodies and consumer associations together have a membership of 155 in the Forum, industry representation is just 5. This is too small a number for this industry considering the size of the Forum.

The source pointed out that there is none from the scientific community to provide advice on R&D or from the foreign trade to offer a global perspective in Forum. This is despite the fact that this is the only industry in the country which spends 5 per cent of its income on R&D and earns 40 percent of the total revenue from overseas markets.

The Pharmaceutical Advisory Forum will comprise the following: