Small-scale drug units in India have requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to transfer all regulatory powers associated with the pharma industry to the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DOP) from the Ministry of Health.
Resolving differences
The SME Pharma Industries Confederation (SPIC) has written a letter to the PM citing coordination problems between the two authorities as the primary reason for demanding transfer of power to DOP.
SPIC admitted that some of the issues in the pharmaceutical sector have been resolved by the creation of an independent DOP in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers. However, it noted that coordination between the ministry and DOP still remains an unsolved problem.
Citing an instance of lack of coordination between the two authorities, SPIC pointed out that the small-scale drug units are under tremendous pressure to comply with the implementation of Schedule M.
This has led to the closure of several small units as they have not received any technical and financial support, which should have been arranged prior to the implementation of Schedule M. The association pointed out that had DOP been in charge, the closure of these units could have been averted. As such, SPIC has urged the PM to merge the DOP with the regulatory department.
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