The Consortium of Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Marketers Association (CIPMMA) based in Chennai, after its executive committee meeting on June 4, will seek some more time from the central and state governments to liquidate all the stocks of the 344 FDC drugs which were banned by the government on March 10 this year.

The meeting, scheduled to be held before the 9th annual general body meeting (AGM) which is slated for June 17 and 18 in Chennai, will mull over how to present the matter before the governments when several cases on the issue are pending with various courts, said A. Kannan, convener of the apex committee of CIPMMA.

He said all the traders in the country ask for a short period of time just to finish out the already stocked products. This feeling of the traders has to be shared with the government. ‘No further FDC products we want, but we want to liquidate the stocks we are keeping now. For that we need a little more time,” he added.

Regarding the 9th AGM, Kannan said the three-year period of the office-bearers’ tenure is going to be expired now, so the main agenda of the meeting is to elect new office-bearers for another term. The executive committee to be held on 4th June will elect new chairman, president, general secretary and treasurer. The AGM has to endorse it.

At present Trichy Gopalakrishnan is the chairman, Theni Ramachandran is president and Martin Joseph is the secretary.

The organisation is in touch with the department of pharmaceuticals in New Delhi to get its secretary, Dr V.K. Subburaju, as chief guest of the function. Also, the office-bearers are trying for the state health secretary, Dr K Radhakrishnan, to be guest of honour at the inaugural meeting.

Kannan said this year’s AGM will be attended by marketers from neighboring states like Karnataka, Kerala, Pondicherry and Andhra Pradesh. This is part of forming CIPMMA’s branches in other states.

Sources from the organisation say that in the AGM, discussion is likely to be held for becoming CIPMMA part of Tamil Nadu IDMA which started absorbing CIPMMA members by giving ‘Associate Membership’ to each member and assigning on special duties to strengthen the organisation. Members of CIPMMA will work for marketing the pharmaceutical and neutraceutical products of the IDMA members.

According to sources, it has been decided that the Apex Committee convener, A Kannan will be elected as the new chairman of CIPMMA.