IPA’s 7th Global Pharma Quality Summit: Industry leaders & policymakers discuss best practices

New Delhi: Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) successfully hosted the first day of its 7th Global Pharmaceutical Quality Summit on 24-25 February, 2022.

The event brought together leaders from the industry, regulatory agencies, academia and subject experts from India and across the globe to facilitate discussions on “Making quality pharmaceuticals in India, sustainably, for the World”.

The first day highlighted the importance of sustainable operations in pursuit of quality excellence and strategies that will enable the Indian pharmaceutical industry onto the pedestal of a global leader.

In her keynote address, S Aparna, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceutical said, “It is imperative that we maintain the trust and credibility the pharmaceutical industry enjoys today. Quality and affordability need to be complemented by innovation and modernity. It is important regulators and stakeholders are aligned to improve access to quality healthcare.”

In his special address, Dr V G Somani, Drugs Controller General of India, iterated that he was happy to see the Quality Summit becoming global. He said “COVID-19 has been challenging and India has demonstrated its commitment in drug delivery, vaccine supplies by collaborating with relevant stakeholders. Sustainability is the buzzword in the industry and IPA is taking the right efforts in this direction.”

While setting the context of the Summit, Sudarshan Jain, Secretary-General, IPA said “We have been organizing the Quality Summit from the year 2016 and has consistently been working towards pursuing quality excellence. This year’s focus is on sustainability as it is the key to a better future.”

Samir Mehta, President, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, said, “Achieving quality excellence and improving patient centricity in pharmaceutical operations has always been a priority for the Indian pharmaceutical industry. The industry should evolve from ‘Make in India’ to ‘Make and Discover in India’ & making quality pharmaceuticals in India, sustainably, for the world. We are entering a new paradigm in Quality Management and this Summit aims to cover some important topics in Quality with a focus on sustainability.”

Samina Hamied, Vice President, IPA and Executive Vice Chairperson, Cipla, said, “I strongly believe that quality is a culture, not just a function and needs to be embedded across fundamental pillars of the industry like operation, our workforce and management systems. A collaborative effort among industry, regulatory bodies, policymakers and healthcare drivers is  key. The 7th edition of GPQS is a step forward in this regard by enabling a knowledge-sharing networking platform on pivotal themes.”

The session on “Future of Pharmaceutical Operations & Quality” was deliberated by Dr Douglas Throckmorton, Deputy Director for Regulatory Platforms, USFDA and Mr Joseph Hughes, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company.

Dr Sotirios Paraschos, Inspector, Certification of Substance Dept, EDQM delivered a session was on “CEP Holder Responsibilities towards EDQM and their Customers”.

Dr Atul Dubey, Director, Pharmaceutical Continuous Manufacturing, USP spoke on USP’s initiatives for capability building and advancing continuous manufacturing while Ms Geena Malhotra, Global Chief Technology Officer, Cipla,  spoke on Quality by Design – Design to Delivery.

Panel discussion on “How can we achieve Quality Excellence in Pharmaceutical Operations?”, saw participation by Ms Kristan Callahan, International Relations Specialist, USFDA India Office, Dr Sotirios Paraschos, Inspector, Certification of Substances Department, EDQM, Dr Manisha Shridhar, Regional Advisor, WHO – SEARO and Dr Rubina Bose, Deputy Drugs Controller India, CDSCO. This was moderated by Dr Rajiv Desai, Executive Vice President, Global Quality Head, Lupin.

Day two of the event will see experts examining quality excellence across sectors and potential learnings for the pharmaceutical industry. A special panel discussion comprising of CEOs from leading Indian Pharma Companies – Cipla, Dr Reddy’s, Lupin, Sun Pharma, Torrent and Zydus Lifesciences will deliberate on the way forward for Sustainable end-to-end Operations & Quality Excellence.