Sachin Jagdale – Goa
Representatives from all the major pharma companies across India participated in the recently concluded Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) Convention 2013 that took place in Goa. The phenomenal response of the pharma industry to this convention underlined the fact that Goa is very much on the path to becoming a pharma hub in India. Even officials from top regulated markets, the USFDA and MHRA,were present for the event in large numbers.
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It was a historic moment for Goa as the state was hosting the IPA Convention after a long gap. “The Indian pharma industry has been on the global map for many decades. Goa is an investor friendly destination and the Goa Government is also proactively supporting the pharma industry. Goa also has an advantage of environment friendly units. Almost every major pharma company has set up its base in Goa,” informs Salim Veljee, Chairman LOC and President, IPA Goa branch. He adds, “Besides the pharma companies, IPA Convention 2013 saw the presence of many senior government officials from all the major states across India as well. We designed different sessions in such a way that every key issue related to Indian pharma industry would be addressed during the Convention.”
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Content of the program me included deliberations and discussions, an exhibition of current issues of importance to the pharma industry and moreover, participation of national and international expert faculties to back these proceedings, made the conference a highly successful event. IPA Convention 2013 definitely displaced the myth that conference and conventions are occasions where nothing concrete is discussed and achieved.
Goa is offering many advantages to the pharma industry. A new sub zonal and port office has been opened by the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in Goa to facilitate export of pharma products. This office has also been authorised to issue a certification on behalf of World Health Organisation-Good Manufacturing Practice (WHO-GMP) to the exporters.
Ripples of recent pharma controversies were evident in IPA Convention 2013 as well. During the panel discussion on the theme, “Indian Pharma Industry: Strategies for Excellence”, Dr Shailesh Ayyangar, MD, Sanofi India, stressed that India does respect innovation. India has the ability to do innovation and India should not use Compulsory Licensing (CL) indiscriminately. Senior pharma professionals present during the event unanimously endorsed the fact that IPA Convention 2013 was one of the most successful conventions in the recent years. With Goa aggressively making inroads into the pharma industry, traditional pharma hubs of India like Maharashtra are surely need to work hard to preserve their decades old dominance in this sector.
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