The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), the regional circle of the global healthcare non governmental organisation (NGO) - People's Health Movement, in collaboration with two other NGOs is conducting a two-day seminar on pharmaceutical policy in India from February 19, 2010, with an aim to come up with a set of suggestions to the central government related to pharma policy making for the near future.

The event is expected to toe the lines of JSA's similar programme held in 2005, which has came up with the 'Kolkata Declaration', which comprehended suggestions and demands to be considered by the government while constituting policies related to pharmaceutical industry in India.

The seminar, 'Pharmaceutical Policy in India: Challenges for the Campaign for Access' will be held at Institute of Cooperative for Agriculture & Rural Development (ICMARD), Kolkata. The Kolkata-based Community Development Medicinal Unit (CDMU), an NGO working to increase affordability and accessibility of essential medicines, and Health Action International (HAI) - Asia Pacific, the global network aiming increase in accessibility of essential medicines will support the seminar.

In four years following the Kolkata Declaration, many new trends and problems have emerged in the Indian pharmaceutical industry and the seminar will focus on identifying and addressing each issue to conclude with suggestions in policy making for the best of the country's population, said Amitava Guha, joint general secretary, Federation of Medical Representatives Association of India (FMRAI), an affiliate to JSA.

"The pharmaceutical industry has become more desperate to stall any move for improving access to essential medicines. The seminar will assess the new development for which several experts have already consented to present paper. Industry associations like IDMA and SPIC, WHO representatives , higher officials from the Central health ministry and department of pharmaceuticals and other policy making bodies would be present for topic discussions," said Guha.

Topics including constructing a model drug policy, issues and challenges with the drug policies in Asia-Pacific countries, incorporating rational use of medicines in medical education, current pharma policy, present status of rational use of medicine in India, economics of medicines use, role of small and medium producers, medicine price situation, promotion of medicines and ethical code, innovation in pharma sector in India would be presented for discussion in the seminar.

Other issues like clinical trials in women, prospects and problems in Biotechnology, Free Trade Agreement and defining counterfeit, rationality and introduction of new vaccines and rationality of paediatric medicines would also be taken up in the seminar.

Even though several demands put up at the Kolkata Declaration in 2005, they have not been heeded by the government. Some of its major suggestions like setting up a centralised drug administration (CDA) and waiving off of excise duty for essential medicines have been taken up for implementation, Guha added.