With a view to address the lacunae in the drug regulatory system, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) is closely working with the CDSCO with special focus on strengthening the PvPI programme of the country.  The aim behind this initiative is to further bolster the regulatory mechanism in the country, by utilising the data generated till now through the PvPI programe of India.

In this regard, IPC which acts as the national coordination centre (NCC) for Pharmacovigilance Program of India (PvPI) already had a series of strategic meetings with the Centre over the last few months.

Based on the ongoing efforts and effective observation of the IPC in overseeing the pharmacovigilence programme of the country, they have been successfully able to discover and analyse vital information on the quality and clinical relevance of some of the key drugs running throughout the country. Interestingly, following several rounds of meeting between IPC and CDSCO officials, it has been unanimously agreed upon to utilise the expertise and knowhow from both the organisations to jointly transform the drug safety data into regulatory action.

Dr V Kalaiselvan, principal scientific officer from Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission, informed that experts are also in touch with key planners to further improve the quality of reports by further encouraging healthcare professionals and industries to report adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The follow up of which will soon reflect in the future functions of IPC initiatives.

"We are constantly striving very hard to upgrade and strengthen our existing functions to streamline them with the healthcare needs of the country. Only by doing so can we ensure that the data generated through this massive effort can be effectively put to use to promote safe use of medicines and ensure patients safety," Dr Kalaiselvan added.