Industry urges health ministry to allow stockpiling of medicines to meet Covid exigencies

Mumbai, November 10, 2021:

The drug industry has appealed to Union minister of health and family welfare Mansukh Mandaviya to permit stockpiling of essential medicines for Covid-19 and other disease conditions which would help save the lives of patients.

In a letter to Mandaviya recently, the Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association (IDMA) has urged to consider stockpiling of new drugs that are undergoing approval process but are yet to be approved as such in the country. Such a provision would allow the industry to meet exigencies arising out of any pandemic or other health emergencies, it said.

“Stockpiling would ensure that the right treatment would be available and could be utilized on short notice after the receipt of the drug approval. Needless to say, drugs approved for stockpiling would continue to undergo the normal regulatory process and companies/agencies would be allowed to offer such products for sale only after the same is approved by the authorized drug regulatory agencies in the country. This provision to pharmaceutical companies to stockpile drugs at their own cost/risk in the interest of the patients would help save lives,” stated the industry body.

Complimenting the minister for achieving a milestone of administering 100 crore vaccines in record time, IDMA attributed it to the government's decision to stockpile vaccines along with the extraordinary efforts of healthcare workers and regulators who have all risen beyond the call of duty to manage the pandemic.

“One of the proactive steps of the government that helped India achieve this milestone was the decision to stockpile vaccines taken vide SO-1511(E) dated May 18, 2020 that allowed vaccines to be manufactured and stored in stockpile awaiting regulatory approvals,” it added.

Now that the Covid-19 situation with the minister’s very timely and notable efforts is under control, IDMA has suggested that stockpiling should now be immediately considered for other unapproved (new) Covid-19 drugs that would allow India to be in a state of perpetual readiness as far as nation’s drug security is concerned.

The industry body has appealed to the minister to take one step further and consider stockpiling of new drugs in general that are undergoing approval process in general but are yet to be approved as such in the country. Such a provision would allow the drugmakers to deal with exigencies arising out of any pandemic or other health emergencies, it stated. PharmaBiz