Proposal to bring all 18 therapeutic drugs under essential medicines list
Mysuru, December 2015: With a view to bring medicine within the reach of the poor, the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Government of India, has recommended the inclusion of all 18 therapeutic drugs in the National List of Essential Medicines of India (NLEMI).
While the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had taken up the revision of NLEMI, the Department of Pharmaceuticals, a constituent of the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, had suggested that medicine, drugs and pharmaceutical formulations in all 18 therapeutic areas be included in NLEMI.
Speaking after inaugurating the 67th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress 2015 here on Saturday, Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar said the inclusion of therapeutic drugs in NLEMI will make drugs required for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory ailments, blood pressure, AIDS, besides analgesic drugs easily available to the poor.
Though a third of the world's drugs are produced in India, Mr. Kumar said India was still importing 60 per cent of its bulk drug requirement from China. He said the Department of Pharmaceuticals had accepted the Dr. Katoch Committee report on bulk drugs and added that the Union Cabinet will soon take a positive decision on its implementation.
Emphasising the need for India to become a hub for bulk drug trade, the Union Minister sought to promote pharmaceutical parks and entrepreneurship in medical devices. After setting up the country's first medical devices park in Gujarat recently, Mr. Kumar said he had been contacting Chief Ministers to set up pharmaceutical parks in their respective States.
The cost of drug manufacturing will come down by 30 per cent in pharmaceutical parks, he said. Mr. Kumar also emphasized the need for pharmaceutical industry to engage in drug discovery.
Drugs Controller General of India G.N. Singh, in his presidential address, said the use of generic drugs was being promoted in public and private sectors