The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) is planning to start Pharm. D, a five year degree course in India from next academic year, with a view to help Indian pharmacists work with drug stores in countries like USA and to upgrade the standards of pharmacy education on par with global standards.

As per a proposal submitted to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the PCI has recommended to start the programme in about 20 pharmacy colleges with an intake of 25 students in a batch from next academic year.

If accepted by the Ministry, the Government may come up with an ordinance to amend the Pharmacy Act to facilitate the selected colleges start the course from the next academic year of 2007-08. It may be noted that the comprehensive amendments to the Act proposed by the PCI, is being scrutinized by the Health Ministry, for forwarding it to the cabinet approval and subsequent introduction in the Parliament.

Aimed to offer as a bridge programme with B.Pharm, the curriculum for Pharm.D will be developed to help the student choose his career either with the industry or in the clinical line. The course will also have a one-year rotatory internship to help the students get clinical exposure.

As reported in Pharmabiz, the PCI is in the process of tying up with the US Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) with a view to help Indian pharmacists gets easy job openings in the US. An ACPE delegation also had visited the country, recently.

Talking to Pharmabiz, Dr.B.Suresh, President, PCI, said the new course would help the Indian pharmacists going abroad to get employment as community pharmacists. At present about 10 per cent of the 15,000 odd pharmacists graduating every year from the pharmacy colleges in India go abroad in pursuit of their career.

In countries like USA, Pharm.D is mandatory for pharmacists working in pharmacies, and therefore the aspirants have no choice other than to choose a job with the industry. At present more than 2000 to 3000 Indian pharmacists working in the US, are kept out of community pharmacy jobs since 2003, he said.