Let’s strengthen industry-academia linkages: Health Minister at IPA Summit

New Delhi: The Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) has successfully concluded the 8th edition of the Global Pharmaceutical Quality Summit. Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya delivered his address during the closing ceremony.

In his address to the industry and other stakeholders, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said, “Quality, R&D and innovation are the need of the hour. India was in mission mode during COVID-19, and we played a sterling role as the pharmacy of the world, by ensuring an uninterrupted supply of quality medicines and vaccines to the world. In a global crisis, India displayed maturity, responsibility, and leadership. I am happy that collaboration among the Government and stakeholders enhanced India’s global reputation further.  I am also deeply appreciative of our pharma industry leaders who placed duty above profit and worked with the Government to fulfil domestic and global demand to manufacture four novels COVID vaccines.”

“It is now time for change. Today, the world wants India to manufacture medicines and vaccines and we must leverage this unique opportunity by using our brand power and manpower. Quality is a top priority today and central and state regulators are working closely to ensure this. Let us collaborate and create new models to foster innovation and strengthen industry-academia linkages.  I am hopeful that the Global Pharmaceutical Quality Summit 2023 deliberations over the last two days lead to new pathways to address challenges and a consultative approach is the way forward.”

The theme for the Summit was, ‘Patient Centricity: New Paradigm of Manufacturing and Quality’.

The two-day Summit brought together industry leaders, global regulators, quality experts, and stakeholders to foster knowledge exchange and deliberate on areas of importance in shaping the pharmaceutical landscape in India.

The event was inaugurated by Nilesh Gupta – Chair, Quality Forum, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance and Managing Director, Lupin. Ms S Aparna, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, GoI, delivered the keynote address during the inaugural session. The first day highlighted the importance of the future of manufacturing and building quality as a culture in the pharmaceutical industry. Regulators from around the world – US FDA, MHRA, EDQM and CDSCO discussed the regulatory affairs highlighting recent inspection observations and trends. The day concluded with discussions on technology architecture, exploring best-in-class engineering controls to ensure excellence in pharmaceutical production.

Mr Sudarshan Jain, Secretary General, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, said, “The Indian pharmaceutical industry plays a critical role in shaping the health outcomes of patients globally. India is known for providing quality-assured affordable medicines worldwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry demonstrated resilience and is now known as the pharmacy of the world. Quality is the fundamental tenet of the pharmaceutical sector. Continuous investments in quality –systems, technology, and talent – is fundamental as the overall healthcare landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace. IPA is committed to making India a global benchmark in quality.”

Day two of the summit witnessed industry leaders shedding light on industry advancements, continuous manufacturing, regulatory expectation, digital technologies in pharmaceutical manufacturing and learnings from other industries. The highlight of the day was the panel discussion comprising leading CEOs of the pharma industry from Cipla, Dr Reddy’s, Lupin, Sun Pharma and Zydus providing their thoughts on the future of the Indian pharmaceutical industry.