Pharma world to discuss industry issues, showcase innovations at 70th IPC

New Delhi: While the Indian pharmaceutical industry registered sales of USD 36.7 Bn in 2017, the overall global market was USD 1.13 Trillion in 2017. Although it is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.4 per cent to reach USD 55 billion by 2020, there still remains a major distance to travel before India can establish itself as an international pharma leader.

With the theme Pharma Vision 2030 aimed at establishing India as the global industry leader, the 70th edition of the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC) is set to see one of the largest congregation of pharmacists and pharmaceutical  professionals discussing burning issues in the pharmaceutical industry, from December 21-23, 2018 at Amity University.

Organized by the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress Association, a federation of five professional pharmaceutical bodies, and hosted by the Indian Pharmacy Graduates’ Association, IPC 2018 will see industry captains and thought leaders to discuss the challenges and solutions in the road to achieve Pharma Vision 2030.

The 70th IPC will be inaugurated by the Vice-President of India, Mr Venkaiah Naidu, and presided by Dilip Shanghvi, President of 70th IPC and Managing Director of Sun Pharma.

The 70th IPC will have the Women Empowerment and Training and Placement Committees for the first time boosting women and student growth in the industry. 

The event is expected to attract 6,000 delegates this year from all the sections of the pharma fraternity. The event will also have 125 national and international speakers debating various high issues related to the India.

A series of firsts amongst other highlights will rule the three-day mega pharma event.

• The Vice-President of India for the first time will meet 50 CEOs of top 50 companies in the Indian Pharma Industry.

• For the first time, a session has been kept on women empowerment  and a Women Empowerment Committee has been constituted.

• For the first time, rare disease and orphan drugs will discussed in IPC as well as in India, as the nation still stands unaware about unrecognized disease which are extremely hard to treat with known drugs.

• The latest developments of Make in India, Entrepreneurship, and Skill-Development will be discussed in the various sessions pertaining to the pharma industry.

• It is the largest ever congregation of minds from academia, regulatory, industry, student community will deliberate upon to gain more say in the world pharma space than what India enjoys today.

• Areas like ePharmacy, biosimilars, APIs and many other topics will be deliberated upon during the sessions.

• An open session has been kept where the regulator and industry will openly criticize each other, sharing various ideas without reservation.

“The future looks bright and full of potential for the Indian pharma industry which is known globally for being a leading supplier of quality, affordable drugs to more than 200 countries. It has the highest number of USFDA approved plants, outside the USA. India accounts for the second largest number of Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) and is global leader in Drug Master Files (DMFs) applications in the US. However, we have many challenges to counter on the road to achieve the vision of 2030. For the past 70 years, the meeting of minds at each edition of IPC has played a significant role in what we have achieved today. With endeavours to continue the momentum, the engaging discourses at IPC 70 will not only bring broad consensus across industry but also will help us map the way ahead”, said Dr Atul Nasa, Head of Office/Controlling Authority, Drugs Control Department, Delhi and Organising Secretary, LOC of 70th IPC.

With stimulating discourses planned over the three days, industry leaders and all stakeholders will deliberate upon important topics including APIs; generic formulations; diagnostics and medical devices; to biosimilar; pharmacovigilance; clinical research; herbal drugs and many more.

Other key burning issues that would be discussed include the need for adequate regulatory framework to support investment on innovative products and expedite pre-clinical research launch of new drugs; need for time-bound implementation of policy interventions; boost clinical trial activity in India; shorten the approval processes and timelines; and reassess the available infrastructure for conducting clinical trial in India.

IPC 70 will also act as a perfect platform to note the positive developments in the pharma and healthcare domains and will facilitate the drafting of a bigger strategy to maximize the positive developments.

“There has been many positive and noteworthy developments in the past few years, as a result of the Government actively working to make healthcare more accessible everyone in India. While the launch of “Ayushman Bharat” is highly valued and will provide means for the Pharma Industry to serve the underserved, “Jan Aushadhi Kendra” is already reaping dividends. The “Make in India” initiative too has emboldened the ambition of Indian pharmaceuticals, with significant support from the government. Other initiatives like “Kaushal Bharat Kushal Bharat” for skill development and “Digital India” are pushing innovation and furthering the cause,” said Mr Dilip Shanghvi, President of 70th IPC and Managing Director of Sun Pharma.

Apart from industry debates on industry challenges and events, IPC 70 for the first time has a Women Empowerment Committee which will push for growth of women participation in the growth story of the industry. There is also a Health Awareness Walk for all age groups organized and awareness campaign to promote Swachch Bharat.

As a boost to student fraternity who envision their career in the industry, for the first time, a Training and Placement Committee has been planned that will play an important role in giving leverage to the right talent.

“One of the industry challenges is the lack of skilled workforce with the right knowledge. The curriculum and syllabus at Pharma Graduate and Post Graduate level should continuously be upgraded in line with newer regulations, guidelines, innovations and research, to keep it relevant and contemporary. A robust collaboration between industry and academia will enable innovation and growth in the education system and produce an employment-ready workforce,” said Mr. B. R. Sikri, Chairman Local Organizing Committee.

The 70th IPC will also showcase a host of innovation in pharma technology and machineries as per the latest developments in the industry.