Department of Pharmaceuticals has convened a meeting of all major pharma associations on September 17 to discuss the general problems faced by the industry as a whole and chalk out future course of actions including necessary amendments in the policies of the government.

Leading associations like IPA, SPIC, IDMA, BDMA, FOPE, OPPI and CIPI have been asked to attend the meeting and present the problems of the industry. Besides the senior officials of the pharma department, the representative of Pharmexcil would also attend the meeting to be chaired by pharma secretary Ashok Kumar, sources said.

The department has also asked the associations to prepare the issues and suggestions to be discussed in meeting ahead and send to the department which will codify them so that some consensus could be arrived at on major issues and follow-up actions could be mooted. This will be the first meeting of the kind after the new government came into power to discuss the general issues, though industry has been involved in meetings on specific issues, sources said.

The department wants to garner the views of the industry on all issues and discuss them with all stakeholders so that policy decisions can be made in a transparent way and implemented more effectively. Though the industry bodies make representations individually many times, their interests vary often making it tough for the government to satisfy all the stakeholders. Hence a common meeting will pave for future course of actions in consultations with the industry, sources in the department said.

Wide range of issues from PTUF to pharma policy, from revival of PSUs to Jan Aushadi, to more financial assistance to the small scale industry are expected to be raised at the meeting. The concerns about the excise free zones, promotion of R&D, issue of spurious drugs, bottlenecks in exports and a plethora of issues concerning the pharma industry are expected to be discussed.

The department sources said the industry leaders while attending the meetings on specific issues were raising lots of issues, but could not be discussed in such platforms particularly called for a single issue. Hence the department wants to garner views on all issues concerning the industry and address them to the best possible levels while making decisions in future.