The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) is now working towards setting up a dedicated Scientific Body manned by experts to look into specific area of pharmaceutics, pharmacognosy, clinical pharmacology, clinical medicine among others.

The Commission has gone on to call on experts from various disciplines of science and technology connected with Pharmacopoeia standards, who have the relevant merit and competence with the willingness to allocate their time to work as members in the scientific body of the IPC for a tenure of five years.

Now the Commission has identified 15 areas of focus and experts have to be from any of these disciplines. The first discipline is pharmaceutical technology or pharmaceutics where the Commission is scouting for a candidate from an academic institution. The expert panel from academia is also preferred for natural products or pharmacognosy from clinical medicine, pharmacology or clinical pharmacology and therapeutics.

The Commission is also keen on experts for the biotechnology sector as it is applicable to pharmaceutical health sciences. It will also have experienced pharma professionals from technical operations involved in manufacture of dosage forms.

In addition, it also needed pharmaceutical industry experienced workforce from technical operations involved in manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients, analysis of active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients and dosage forms.

It also needs competent personnel from the pharmaceutical industry engaged in research on development of active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients and dosage forms. There is also a demand for proficient personnel from departments of manufacture and quality control of biological products.

Going by the growth in animal health sciences, the Commission is focusing on knowledgeable candidates from veterinary sciences with special know-how in manufacture and quality control of medicines used in veterinary practice.

India being the largest producers of vaccines for the world market and with the growing importance of disease prevention, an expert panel is also wanted in Sera and vaccines for veterinary use, noted the Commission.

The significance of radio-pharmaceuticals in medical diagnostics indicated that these therapeutic agents are being increasing used for bone metabolism, imaging of brain tumours, or Parathyroid gland where use of calcium -7 and carbon 11 respectively are widely being used. The Committee sees the indispensability of a team of experts to study this. For assessing the methods of assay dependent on radio-immunoassay techniques and medical devices, the Commission has considered for nomination of these experts in the scientific body.
 
Many experts told Pharmabiz that this was a very transparent method to get credentials of scientists who can be appointed on the Commission’s scientific body of IPC. However, many experts may not apply as they consider themselves of such status that it be ‘infra-dig’ for them to apply. Real experts they said normally expect the governmental bodies to invite them to become members directly and contribute to the scientific work.

“Moreover, memberships to these scientific bodies are honorary, except that a small token of meeting attendance fee is paid. Hence experts should be invited to be members,” they pointed out.

Scientists in the industry feel that in addition to the transparent process they should also approach the senior persons in the field to become members of the scientific board and make significant contributions.