A resolution passed by the general body of the Tamil Nadu branch of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) has demanded that government of India should soon take steps to set up a national council for pharmaceutical research, which should be known as Indian Council for Pharmaceutical Research (ICPR).

Presenting the resolution in the meeting, Dr Thirumalai Elango, the Registrar of Tamil Nadu Pharmacy Council said there are several significant national councils for various industrial and medical researches.  Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), Indian Council for Ayurvedic Research (ICAR), Indian Council for Siddha Research (ICSR), Indian Council of Unani Research (ICUR), Indian Council for Naturopathy Research (ICNR), Indian Council for Scientific Research (ICSR)..etc are some examples.  Unfortunately, the government of India has so far not created a Council for Pharmaceutical Research, he said in his resolution.

Citing examples, Dr Elango said the only industry in the country which is recession proof  is the pharmaceutical industry and is growing  at a rate of 15 per cent every year. With the dynamic growth of the industry, India is called the ‘pharmacy for the rest of the world’. Our country exports medicines to  more than 220 countries. Other than medicine no other product is exported like this. Even then, the government has so far not given due recognition to the pharmaceutical industry, he added.

Later the meeting passed another resolution that like medical, engineering and agricultural subjects, pharmacy subjects like pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacognosy and forensic pharmacy should be included in the Group 1 Examinations conducted by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC). Inclusion of pharmacy subjects will enable the pharmacy graduates to appear for the national competitive examinations and to get into public administration on par with medical, engineering and agricultural graduates.

A third resolution presented in the meeting demanded the creation of a separate ministry for pharmacy and pharmaceuticals.  It said that at present the pharmacy profession is controlled by many ministries like health ministry, ministry of petroleum & chemicals, ministry of commerce, ministry of forests, etc. The pharmacy education is under health ministry and under the higher education ministry (PCI & AICTE). The drugs control administration comes under ministry of health. Pharmaceutical industry comes under ministry of industry & commerce. Pollution control is controlled by ministry of environment & forests. Too many ministries to control a single pharmacy profession is not advisable and helpful for development.   So the government should create a Ministry of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals, demanded the resolution.

All the three resolutions were passed unanimously by the general body.