Amid recent scrutiny of several drug companies over product issues such as cough syrup, Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Wednesday stressed the critical need for the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to draw a roadmap with timelines of adopting global standards in its regulatory functions.
His directives came while reviewing the regulation of drugs, cosmetics and medical devices here where he underscored India's aspiration to reaffirm its status as the 'pharmacy of the world' by aligning its drug regulatory framework with international norms.
Nadda emphasised the necessity for a robust regulatory structure that matches India's extensive pharmaceutical industry and meets global expectations effectively.
He stated that the upscaling needs to be systems-based, focusing on the highest standards of uniformity, technical upgrade 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 emphasised amid the backdrop of a few Indian-made drugs in regions as far afield as North America, Africa and Central Asia were found to be toxic and causing deaths.
Nadda also underscored the importance of transparency in the working of CDSCO. “In order to achieve global standards, our focus needs to be on transparency of procedures at CDSCO and within the drugs and medical devices industry,” he said.
“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 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 said.
On the topic of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector in drugs manufacturing and the issues faced by the small scale industries to meet quality standards, Nadda said, “Let us understand the issues faced by MSME sector and support them to strengthen their capacity and quality of products on the one hand, and encourage them to meet the regulatory requirements on the other.”
Nadda was briefed about the mandated activities of CDSCO, its achievements, future plans and various issues and challenges faced by CDSCO, according to a statement issued here. He was also updated on the progress of the scheme for strengthening the state drug regulatory system with a budget of Rs 850 crore which was launched in 2016 during his earlier tenure.
Nadda was also apprised of the roles and responsibilities of the central and state drugs regulatory bodies, and some of the challenges faced in alignment between them.
