Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA), Karnataka State branch and the Regulatory Division IPA Centre, Mumbai are organizing a one-day seminar titled ‘Pharmacovigilance in India at Bangalore’. The event will be held on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at the Hotel Le Meridian.

In the recent past the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has been active in setting up pharmacovigilance programme in India and is also working with expert groups & technical advisory committees to achieve the common goal of safer medicines for human use. This seminar is intended to familiarize with the nitty-gritty of pharmacovigilance and to discuss the challenges and probable solutions for India, stated the organizers.

The speakers will include Dr Y. K. Gupta, Prof & Head, Dept of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi who will speak on Pharmacovigilance Programme of India - Safer Medicines for the Indian Population. The topic ‘ABC of Pharmacovigilance’ will be addressed by Dr Veena Rajan, Head of Medical and Safety, AstraZeneca India.

Dr Darshan Bhatt, director of Patient Safety, Vanthys Pharmaceutical Development (P) Ltd. will provide an overview on ‘Pharmacovigilance in India -Current Challenges and Pragmatic Approach, Dr Deepa Arora, Global Head, Drug Safety & Risk Management, Lupin Limited will speak on the topic ‘Risk Management Tools in Pharmacovigilance.’

The organizers have stated that industry professionals from regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance or medical & patient safety departments along with quality assurance staff,  physicians, regulators, community pharmacists, postgraduate students of pharmacology, Pharm D students would benefit from the seminar.

The event is held in association with the Karnataka Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers’ Association (KDPMA), North Karnataka Drugs Manufacturers' Association (NKDMA) and the Indian Society for Clinical Research (ISCR).

According to the organizers, Dr Surinder Singh, Drugs Controller General (India) will be the chief guest. The event will be inaugurated by Karnataka’s Principal Secretary, Health & Family Welfare (Medical Education) I M Vittal Murthy and Dr E V Ramana Reddy, secretary, Health & Family Welfare, government of Karnataka will be the Guest of Honour.