The executive committee of the Consortium of Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Marketers Association (CIPMMA) has unanimously passed a resolution to fight against the decision of the Union government to make pharmacy graduates only eligible for wholesale licences.

CIPMMA’s EC committee, which was held in Trichy last week, also decided to give full support to the All India Chemists and Druggists Federation (AICDF) in their programmes of agitations, strikes and rallies to be carried out all over the country.
 
Briefing Pharmabiz about its future plans, CIPMMA general secretary Joseph Martin said he would meet the office-bearers of AICDF state committee in Chennai next week and chalk out programmes of agitations to be carried out in the state. In the national level, the Consortium will join with the Federation and work out strategies for national level agitations and strikes.
 
Martin will discuss with the national secretary of AICDF, Joydeep Sarkar, in this regard either in New Delhi or in Kolkata in the first week of October.
 
According to Martin, the decision of the Union government will deteriorate largely the business conditions of CIPMMA members as the organisation itself is an association of marketers and wholesalers whose educational background is different from pharmacy. He said most of the members are having decades of experience in wholesale marketing of pharmaceutical products and their contributions to the healthcare system of the state is very big. He further said the government, especially the department of health and every section of the healthcare management team is aware of the valuable services rendered by the pharma wholesalers in keeping the availability of medicines intact in all the villages, urban areas and the hinterlands of Tamil Nadu.
 
“Ours is a valuable service to the society and it is more than a business of profit. Unlike other businesses, medicine sale is a part of social service. We are experienced business people in the field of pharmaceutical product sales. The members of our organisation are marketers and wholesalers. We are not dispensing or manufacturing any drug. If the government brings any law for some technical reasons to restrain the wholesale business of medicines by experienced people, it will affect the lives of lakhs of people in the country. This is an area of business where crores of rupees worth investment is made. So, our request to the government is to refrain from such decision which helps only to monopolize the drug trade to a section of people,” Martin further said.
 
When the matter of passage of resolution was shared with Joydeep Sarkar, he responded from Kolkata that his office would immediately pass a circular to the state committee office of AICDF in Tamil Nadu to collaborate with CIPMMA and work together for the common cause. He said the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) is showing no interest in this burning issue of ‘wholesalers’ licence’, but they are now concentrating on e-pharmacy problems. Their pharma bandh call of October 14 is unwanted and insignificant in the present situation. He wanted the AIOCD office-bearers and its members to join with AICDF to take forward the agitation against Union government in making wholesale pharma business for the pharmacy graduates by amending the Drugs and Cosmetics Act in their favour.
 
Although AICDF’s registered headquarter is Chennai, the organisation and its activities are very weak in Tamil Nadu. The membership strength of the state committee is also poor. So, CIPMMA’s support will be helpful for them to undertake agitations and rallies in the banner of AICDF. CIPMMA members are very strong business people and it has presence in all the districts with six zonal committees.
 
VP. Elango, secretary of AICDF Tamil Nadu state committee, said he would invite CIPMMA members to their agitational programmes to be held in October in various parts of the state, and before that he will discuss with his national office-bearers.