21 Dec 2013|Noida | Amity University Campus, Sector-125 Noida
Pharma Industry Experts deliberated on issues concerning Industry, Education and Pharmacists during the Second Day of 65th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress 2013 at Amity University
The 65th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress 2013 is being hosted by Indian Pharmacy Graduates’ Association under the federation of the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress Association at Amity University Noida from December 20-22, 2013.
During the second day of the Congress, plenary sessions, symposiums and memorial lectures were organized. Dr. H. G. Koshia, Commissioner, Food & Drug Control Administration, Government of Gujarat delivered the B. V. Patel Memorial Lecture on the topic “Innovative use of Technology in Drug Regulatory System – FDCA Gujarat”. During his lecture Dr. Koshia said that Food & Drug Control Administration (FDCA) is responsible for issuing licenses to manufacturer, Sales licenses to retailers wholesalers, distributor, stockiest and C&F agent dealing with pharma and related product. FDCA is also mandated to monitor the quality of drug being manufactured in Gujarat or coming from other states. Hence, timely recall of sub- standard / spurious drugs, after proper laboratory testing, is also an important function of FDCA. These activities were being carried out manually and facing various problems like inordinate delays, inaccuracy, lack of harmonization, lack of co-ordination between various offices, multiple enrollment of pharmacists etc. To overcome these problems and to bring speed, accuracy, transparency, accountability, standardization of procedures, proactive and citizen oriented governance. In spite of limited resources & difficulties in changing in mind set of stakeholders, FDCA, Gujarat with the technical help from NIC, Gujarat, firmly implemented “XLN – Xtended Licensing & Laboratory Node”. After successful implementation of XLN by FDCA, Gujarat, many states requested to replicate XLN in their states too. With consent of Govt. of Gujarat, till date 7 other States have replicated Gujarat model XLN and 7 other states’ requests are pending for execution.
During the plenary session Mr. Yugal Sikri, Country Head, India Region, Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, Mumbai, Maharashtra presented his talk on “Brand building - For Sustainable Business Growth in Pharma”. During the talk, Mr. Sikri said that Pharmaceutical business is fiercely competitive and genericised. It is highly fragmented with relatively lower entry barriers. Industry is also facing the challenge of diminishing R&D productivity resulting into fewer new products on one hand and on the other, pie of generic component is growing bigger with pressures on healthcare costs mounting. Brand building today is a bigger imperative than ever before. Brands built on the foundation of quality, trust, ethics and patient care are there to last. From stakeholders’ perspective, it’s truly a win-win. While for patients it is the guarantee of predictable quality and relief, for doctors, it represents promise of delivery and personal reputation. For a company or marketer, it’s a source of sustainable business.
During the symposium Dr. Uday B. Kompella, Prof.,Dept. of Pharm. Sci., Univ. of Colorado,
School of Pharmacy, Aurora, Colorado, USA talked on the topic “Nanotechnology for drug delivery and gene delivery to the eye and imaging”. In his talk, Dr. Kompella said that Nanotechnology offers promising new materials and delivery systems with unique capabilities for improving drug delivery, gene delivery, and imaging. A careful selection of materials and delivery systems based on the disease, drug type, and route of administration is desired for different diseases.
Dr. Samba Reddy, Professor, Dept of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, USA presented his lecture on the topic “Current Landscape of Pharmaceutical Product and Drug Development”. Dr. Reddy stated that new drug introduction is a complex and highly risky business. Drug discovery is a tedious and difficult process and it takes about 5 to 10 years to introduce a new drug. It costs an estimated $1 billion for a new drug discovery and development. Recent trends in new drug approvals in the US shows that the number of new drugs approved has great fluctuations during the past decade, despite steady increases in R&D investment. However, there is still a “pipeline syndrome” for new blockbuster drugs with sales of over $1 billion. Big pharma companies including Glaxo, Novartis, AstroZeneca, Genentech and Pfizer have trimmed their early discovery efforts and focused their resources on processes further downstream. The failure of drug development or approval costs up to 80% of total R&D investment.
During the evening of the second day, beauty products magnate Ms. Shehnaaz Hussain inaugurated the cultural evening wherein Singer Neha Kakkar (Indian Idol fame) and Prince Dance Group mesmerized the audience with their performances.
Pharmaceutical Expo2013 is also being exhibited during the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress wherein More than 180 Exhibitors are showcasing their new products & technologies.
An immensely useful Online Job Portal has been introduced for the first time for the benefit of Pharmacy students. Executives of several pharmaceutical companies are interviewing students for placement. There is an overwhelming response to this initiative and it is going to provide an excellent platform to a large number of deserving students.
The three day Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC) was inaugurated by Dr. V.M. Katoch, Secretary - Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Director General - Indian Council of Medical Research, Dr. G.N. Singh – Drugs Controller General of India, Mr. Atul Kumar Nasa, President of Indian Pharmaceutical Congress Association, Dr. Ashok K Chauhan, Founder President, Amity Group & Chief Patron of IPC, Mr. S.B. Shashank, Special Secretary Health – Government of Delhi and Shri R.C. Juneja, Chairman – cum- Managing Director - Mankind Pharma at Main Ground, Amity University Campus, Sector-125 Noida on December 20, 2013.