The Tamil Nadu Drugs Control (TNDC) department has exhorted the pharma industry in the state to concentrate on quality aspect to achieve international reputation for the state’s pharma industry and a high market share for the products, which is currently low compared to those of smaller states.

The suggestion in respect of quality aspect was given by none other than the director of drugs control, G Selvaraj, while addressing the members of IDMA and PMA state branches in a meeting organised by the department in order to warm up the industry leaders, and to present a report about the current predicament of the industry in Tamil Nadu.

According to Selvaraj, Tamil Nadu faces no scarcity of resources and the government is immensely supporting the industry, but it has only 2.5-3 per cent market share of Indian pharmaceutical market. Continuous improvement in quality, both inside and outside of pharma production, is required to increase this figure. Only through quality, which is the major foundation for growth, the pharma industry in the state can get worldwide recognition, he said.

In his address to the manufactures, the regulatory officer emphasized the need to educate all the employees of the industrial units about quality and importance of the therapeutic efficacy of drug. Most of the unskilled laborers may not know the implication of poor quality, so they have to be educated with live examples and understand the value and importance of quality drugs.

The department got the report of ‘Not of Standard Quality’ which comes around 10-13 per cent, and it contained dissolution test, disintegration test, uniformity weight, description and assay. He said these minor defects can be rectified with improvement in quality aspects and by training the laborers. The drug control department is committed to ensure availability of quality drugs to the public and prevention of circulation of adulterated/spurious/substandard drugs from the market.

Talking about a research study he did on the growth of pharma industry in Gujarat, Selvaraj said the manufacturing industry in Tamil Nadu should follow the path of Gujarat whose industrial model can be replicated for overall growth.

Geographically, Gujarat is smaller than Tamil Nadu and a major portion of it is desert which is bordering Pakistan. But it has a tremendous achievement in pharma trade which it claims 40 per cent share of the total Indian market. The pharma industry there, in association with academic institutions, has developed a unique centre for research and development, the B V Patel Pharmaceutical Education & Research Development Centre (PERD). He exhorted the leaders to think of opening such institutions in Tamil Nadu. He added that he had sent a proposal to the government to develop a Pharma Park in the state.

Drawing attention of the southern pharma leaders into the success of pharma business in Gujarat, the drugs control director said each member company of that state has ambitious goals and they update their knowledge with the support of newer technology. For effluent treatment, lab facilities and other technical development, the industrial units co-operate together. With a joint initiative, they give training for skilled and unskilled workers in the units. They follow the cluster concept and all their efforts are being supported by the government also.

While praising the Ayush industry in the state for having taken initiative to start a cluster for them, Selvaraj told the allopathic pharma manufactures to develop a cluster concept for the growth of their industry also. He said Pharmexcil’s contributions to Gujarat is high, such a participation from that organisation can be achieved for Tamil Nadu too provided joint work is done by the pharma traders.

Compared to the medical community’s contribution to the state of Tamil Nadu, contributions earned for the state from the pharma community is very less. The manufacturers of pharmaceutical products should have ambitious goals and strive for achieving a glory for the state capital, as that of the medical community has attained already, to qualify it as the health capital of the world, he said.

Later while speaking to Pharmabiz, the director said two more such conferences will be held to sensitize the southern and western industrial units about quality aspects.