Other States - Orissa   

Quality can make pharma industry excel: Sahu

— Photo: Lingaraj Panda

Focus on research: Union Minister of State for Rural Development Chandrasekhar Sahu lighting the lamp to mark the inauguration of the 3rd IPA-APTI Orissa State Level Convention in Berhampur on Sunday.

BERHAMPUR: The pharmacy education and pharmaceutical industry have to join hands in the field of research to meet the emerging global challenges, expressed delegates at the State convention of the Orissa units of the Indian Pharmacy Association (IPA) and Association of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India (APTI).

Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Chandrasekhar Sahu inaugurated this convention on Sunday at the Roland Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (RIPS) campus. President of the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), B.Suresh and Berhampur MLA, R.C.C.Patnaik also attended the convention. Mr. Sahu said Indian pharma industry was now facing stiff competition with big international players in both domestic as well as international market. According to him quality and innovation can make the pharma industry of the country excel in world market. Only through close interaction between Pharmaceutical educational institutes and industry the cost of research could be brought down, which would make Indian pharma industry stronger in world market.

Some speakers also criticised the alleged mushrooming of pharmacy institutions and the crisis of quality in pharma-education due to them. The local MLA said Pharma industries should sponsor research work in the laboratories of pharmaceutical educational institutes which would increase interest of students of the institute towards this research work in pharmacy rather than opting for sales jobs.

Mr. Suresh said if academia, public research organisations of the country and pharmaceutical industry could come together to have an alliance for research in the field of pharmaceutical sciences then it would maximise success rate and reduce attritions. This would reduce the R & D expenditure for any company. Mr. Suresh urged the Central Government to come up with the new Pharmacy Act as the existing Pharmacy Act of 1947 has become archaic.

He also added that to meet the needs of globalisation the PCI has introduced Pharma.D courses in India which would open up opportunities for pharmacy students of India throughout the world. This course would be introduced in the RIPS for the first time in Orissa.

The base Pharm.D course will be a six-year doctorate course after 10+2 on the lines of Pharm.D in the US, the Pharm.D (Post Bacclaureate) programme will be of three years duration, which is meant for the B Pharm students who aspire for higher education.

These courses would put more emphasis on clinical pharmacy practice, medical management, drug information, professional communication, etc which are integral part of any community healthcare network.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Mizo theatre
Expert advise
Comfortable perch!
Special school cries for attention
Steps taken to promote theatre in the State
Extensive excavation at Srijanga village planned
Saarc Poetry festival of young poets concludes
Teachers take out rally
Naxal menace
Trafficking racket busted
Quality can make pharma industry excel: Sahu
CPI (M) lashes out at Government
Release of CPI (M-L) members demanded
MLA’s resignation demanded
Six youths held
Orissa mediation centre opened
Thwart nefarious plans of Maoists, RSS cadres told
Workshop on cyber law
State eyes Rs.1,000-cr. investment in IT sector

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu