India will press Tajikistan, a significant market for Indian medicines, to make recognition of United States and European Union registrations and approvals valid for the Indian exporters, as in the case of other CIS countries.

This will be taken up at the two-day meeting of the India-Tajikistan Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Co-operation beginning at Dushanbe from May 16, sources said.

“It was discussed that there was scope for export of Indian drugs and medicines to Tajikistan and as in the case of other CIS countries, we may insist on recognition of US and EU registration of Indian medicines,” sources said.

This was discussed in detail at the recent preparatory inter-ministerial meetings held in the Department of Commerce and decided to include this in the protocol of the meeting. The Commerce Department also took the views of the Department of Pharmaceuticals and the concerned stakeholders in this regard, sources said.

If Tajikistan accepts the proposal, the Indian exporters can save plenty of time by avoiding further procedures for securing fresh approvals for the medicines already approved and registered by the EU and US.

During the previous meetings of the Joint Commission, also the measures of promoting drugs exports from India to Tajikistan were discussed. Pharmexcil has been appointed as the co-ordinating agency on behalf of India to take up issue of fast track registration of Indian medicines with Tajikistan which also was asked to nominate an agency to interact with India.

The Ministry of Health of Republic of Tajikistan had fixed the time of registration of Indian pharmaceutical products to two months from the date of submission of the application. This would also be taken up in the forthcoming meeting, it is learnt.