Panel to address issues of pharma industry

An expert panel — comprising top representatives of the health ministry, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, various drug industry bodies and business chambers — has been formed to bring out a report on a long-term policy for the pharma sector.

The task force, headed by V M Katoch, director general of Indian Council of Medical Research and secretary to Department of Health Research, has been asked to give its report within three months of its first meeting. The order to set up the task force was issued during the weekend.

The task force would evolve policies and strategies to make India a hub for drug discovery and research and development. It has been told to recommend strategies to further the interests of the pharma industry in the light of issues related to intellectual property rights. It will also suggest steps “to capitalise the opportunity of drugs worth $60 billion going off-patent over the next five years,” a health ministry official said.

National drugs security is another focus area of the task force. It will find ways to promote indigenous production of bulk drugs, prevent takeover of Indian pharma companies by multinational companies, tackle problems of spurious drugs and promote generic drugs. The task force will also make recommendations on drug pricing.

Takeover of Indian pharma companies by multinational companies has been the most pressing issue of the sector of late. If the trend continues, “an oligopolistic market and cartelisation may develop in India,” the official said.