SME Pharma Industries Confederation (SPIC) will chalk out its action plan on a number of pressing issues including the formation of the Central Drug Authority and non-tariff trade barriers against the small and medium scale pharma units in the country. It has plans to lobby with the members of Parliament to ensure a fair deal for the sector.

An executive meeting of the confederation will be held in Goa on August 2 to chalk out the future action plan. The meeting will discuss the status of FDCs, demand for accepting US Pharmacopoeia as official document to cut down the number of new drugs, and inclusion of members in Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission and NUPERs, among other things.

One of the key points to be deliberated will be the stand of the association on the pending CDA bill which the Union health minister is reportedly keen to bring up. The views of the members would be codified to further push the matter with a view to safeguard the interest of the small units in the country, a spokesman of SPIC said.

UNITAID initiative to set up a patent pool for ARV drugs, problems faced by the SSIs following the change of norms by Railway and other departments in procuring the drugs, proposal to collaborate with NGOs on the issue of CDA bill, and the attitude of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority will also come up for discussion.

The association is trying to muster the support of more MPs and senior leaders of different political parties against the pending CDA bill. The SPIC will again seek the intervention of the prime minister in a number of pending issues as the small and medium scale units have been going through a struggling period.

Meanwhile, the Haryana chapter of the SPIC was recently launched to take up the issues of the SME sector with the state government and its departments. O P Garg was elected the president and Rajiv Agarwal was chosen as the secretary of the chapter. Sudhir Gupta will be the treasurer. The leaders said that they would try to ensure fair deal for the pharma industry in the State.