New Delhi, July 17, 2024.
“For India to become the global leader in drugs regulation to match our global reputation of ‘Pharmacy of the World’, we need to have world class regulatory framework matching our scale of operations and international expectations”. This was stated by Union Health Minister Shri J P Nadda, as he reviewed the regulation of drugs, cosmetics and medical devices, here today. Union Health Secretary Shri Apurva Chandra, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi and senior officers of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and Union Health Ministry were present at the high level review meeting.
Highlighting the global position of India as the leading producer and exporter of drugs, Shri J P Nadda stressed on CDSCO to draw a roadmap with timelines of achieving global standards in its mandated activities. He stated that the upscaling needs to be systems-based focusing on highest standards of uniformity, technical upgradation and futuristic approach. For export of drugs and pharmaceuticals, the system should be designed for proper intervention to maintain the quality of drugs being exported, he emphasized.
Shri Nadda underscored the importance of transparency in the working of CDSCO. He stated that “In order to achieve global standards, our focus needs to be on transparency of procedures at CDCSO and within the drugs and medical devices industry”. Both the Drugs Regulatory body and the industry should work on highest principles of transparency to ensure that the products manufactured and sold by India meet the highest indices of global quality standards, he said.
The Union Health Minister stated that it is important for CDSCO to be in continuous dialogue with the drugs and medical devices industry to understand their issues and support them to fulfill the quality expectations and standards of CDSCO. “Our focus should be on developing mechanisms that ensure easy of doing business for the drugs industry within the regulatory requirements. For this, CDSCO needs to be a user-friendly organization with state-of-the-art facilities matching global standards”, he stated.