The high-level task force, constituted by Union health and family welfare minister as a single dose measure to address multiple issues faced by the pharmaceutical industry and come out with recommendations within three months, but yet to submit its report even after 13 months.

The panel was set up by the Ministry in March 2011 with a view to evolve comprehensive and long term strategy for addressing various issues faced by the Indian pharmaceutical industry with the mandate to submit report within three months.

Sources in the Ministry said it was pursuing the matter and had asked the panel to expedite the process to finalise the report.

The 12-member panel, headed by secretary of health research and the DG of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and co-chaired by the DGHS, held its first meeting on June 6 and decided to constitute six sub-groups to deliberate on different terms of reference given to the task force.

The sub-groups were formed on Drug Discovery and Research & Development, Intellectual Property Rights, Promoting Indigenous Production of Bulk Drugs, Takeover of Indian Pharma Companies, Pricing of Drugs & Generic Drugs, and Spurious and Adulterated Drugs.

The task force has members drawn from National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), Department of Industry Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA), Mumbai, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), Mumbai, Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), Mumbai, Federation of Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurs (FPE), Gurgaon, Confederation of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry (CIPI), Bulk Drug Manufacturers’ Association (BDMA), Hyderabad, SME Pharma Industry Confederation, New Delhi and Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) as the Member Secretary.

The panel was asked to evolve short, medium and long term policy and strategy to make India as a hub for drug discovery, research and development. It has to evolve strategies to further the interests of Indian pharma industry in the light of issues related to Intellectual Property Rights and recommend strategies to capitalize the opportunity of US$ 60 to 80 billion drugs going off-patent over next five years.