The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) is set to become the first WHO Collaborating Centre for Safety of Medicines and Vaccines in the South-East Asia Region, stated by Shri J. P. Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Govt. of India while addressing the 38^th Annual meeting of representatives of National Pharmacovigilence Centres participating in the World Health Organization Programme for International Drug Monitoring, organized by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) and World Health Organization (WHO). 

In his inaugural address, the Health Minister Shri J. P. Nadda said that drug safety related issues pose a major challenge for healthcare professionals, regulators and pharmaceuticals industry and this is where pharmacovigilence, plays a significant role in ensuring quality, safety and efficacy of medical products. Given the critical role that it plays it is imperative that phamacovigilance is developed as an effective instrument for understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other drug related problems. The success of pharmacovigilance depends on the art of reporting, cutting edge use of information and communications technology to process and analyze information for immediate corrective measures, which needs to be supported by a highly calibrated audit process. The Minister applauded the WHO Collaborating Centres across the globe, which serve as platforms for knowledge transfer and act as catalysts for developing the next level Good Pharmacovigilance Practices and awareness of adverse reactions and their reporting. 

The Health Minister said that our efforts have gained momentum after the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission was notified as the National Coordination Centre for Pharmacovigilence to monitor adverse drug reactions. The minister said that we need to continue promoting generic drugs. However, what we need to doubly ensure is these are of high quality and efficacy. 

This meeting is held annually by one of the WHO member States, the meeting acts as a platform for countries to discuss current issues and concerns in Pharmacovigilance. This year, the meeting has been hosted by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission-National Coordinating Centre-Pharmacovigilance Programme of India from 4 to 6 November 2015 with active support from WHO. More than 150 international delegates from over 57 countries have attended the meeting.

Dr. G.N.Singh Secretary-cum-Scientific Director IPC, Ghaziabad addressing Shri J.P. Nadda, Health Minister MoHFW, Govt. of India along with other officials on 38^th Annual Meeting of Representative of the National Pharmacovigilance Centres participating in the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring on 4^th Nov 2015 at New Delhi

Hon’ble Health Minister Shri J.P. Nadda, MoHFW, Govt. of India addressing delegates of 38^th Annual Meeting of Representative of the National Pharmacovigilance Centres participating in the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring on 4^th Nov 2015 at New Delhi

Hon’ble Health Minister Shri J.P. Nadda, MoHFW, Govt. of India addressing delegates of 38^th Annual Meeting of Representative of the National Pharmacovigilance Centres participating in the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring on 4^th Nov 2015 at New Delhi