GoM to clear pharmaceutical policy at next meeting scheduled in March 2nd week
Joseph Alexander, New Delhi

After running behind the schedule by more than two years, the much awaited national pharmaceutical policy is likely to be cleared by the Group of Ministers (GoM) in its next meeting, slated to be held in early March.

Under increased pressure from the chemicals ministry, the seven-member panel headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar may wind up the deliberations in its fourth meeting, slated for the first or early second week of March, sources indicated.

The chemicals department has already sought an early finalization of the policy, due to which an uncertainty has been prevailing over the pharmaceutical sector. The exact date of the meeting and the agenda would be finalized shortly, sources in the Department said.

Chemical and Fertilisers Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has already gone on record that the next meeting of the GoM would finalise the recommendations. ``"I am sure that GoM would clear the pharma policy in its next meeting,'' he was quoted as saying, after the third meeting, held on January 31.

With the present UPA government entering its final phase in power and under the strict instruction from the Prime Minister's Office to all pending GoMs to clear the tasks, there was a general feeling among the members of the panel also to clear the policy soon. The panel wanted to hold the meeting after the budget, again final general budget from the ruling coalition, to finalise its recommendations accordingly. Hence the meeting would take place anytime in March, sources indicated.

There is also a feeling both in the industry and outside that `enough is enough' and it was time to announce the policy which has been pending in fact since 2002. The GoM set up by the PM in January 2007 has also been sitting on the draft policy over a year now. The panel already had enough inputs from the industry and chemicals department officials and no more briefing or presentation would likely to be held now. So the next meeting thus may put the signature on the policy.

However, it is yet to be known on what the panel would suggest to settle the contentious issue of price control over 354 drugs, expanding the present bracket of 74 essential drugs.

The Union Cabinet in January 2007 referred the draft pharma policy to the GoM after differences arose between the chemicals ministry and pharmaceutical industry over certain provisions, including price control, in the draft policy. The first meeting was held on April and the second was held after long gap in September. Again after nearly four months, the third meeting was held, again without making much headway.

Source: www.pharmabiz.com
25th February 2008

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