Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission signs MoUs to strengthen drug safety and quality standards
The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Goa State Pharmacy Council (GSPC), the Quality Council of India (QCI), and HLL Infra Tech Services Limited (HITES) to strengthen medicine safety, quality assurance, and capacity building across the country.
The agreements aim to enhance pharmacovigilance systems, promote the rational use of medicines, improve professional competencies of pharmacists, and advance healthcare quality and patient safety standards.
Under the MoU with the Goa State Pharmacy Council, IPC will collaborate on strengthening pharmacovigilance and promoting rational medicine use in Goa. The partnership focuses on improving adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting under the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI), promoting the National Formulary of India among registered pharmacists, and enhancing awareness of drug safety and pharmacopoeial standards.
The collaboration also envisages conducting training programmes, workshops, and continuing professional education activities for pharmacists, along with facilitating awareness initiatives related to sustainable pharmacopoeia practices. The MoU aims to support the establishment and strengthening of ADR Monitoring Centres and improve systematic documentation and reporting practices across healthcare facilities in the state.
The MoU signed between IPC and the Quality Council of India focuses on joint initiatives in quality promotion, public health awareness, and capacity building. Both organisations will work together on planning and implementing training and awareness programmes, particularly in pharmacovigilance and allied areas.
The collaboration will leverage institutional expertise and technical resources and support project-based cooperation aligned with national quality and safety objectives. The MoU provides a flexible framework, with specific activities to be undertaken through mutually agreed work orders.
IPC said it continues to build partnerships with regulatory bodies, professional councils, quality organisations, and public sector enterprises to strengthen pharmacovigilance systems, enhance professional competencies, and promote uniform standards for medicine quality and patient safety nationwide.
Addressing the MoU signing ceremony, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Harsh Mangla, underlined the critical role of the regulatory sector in the effective implementation of primary and secondary healthcare across the country.
Congratulating IPC Secretary-cum-Scientific Director Dr V. Kalaiselvan and representatives of the Goa State Pharmacy Council and QCI, Mangla described the MoUs as an important starting point for institutional collaboration. However, he stressed that such agreements should not remain symbolic and must translate into tangible outcomes.
Mangla noted that IPC has signed several MoUs in recent years, reflecting its commitment to strengthening regulatory and professional collaboration. He also emphasised that drugs and pharmaceuticals require the highest level of attention and that increasing awareness among pharmacists is vital for ensuring patient safety and quality healthcare delivery.
Highlighting the government’s continued policy and regulatory support for the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, he said the MoUs would play a key role in training, capacity building, and continuing professional education of pharmacists, contributing to improved public health outcomes.
