70th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress hosted by IPGA at Amity University

 The 70th IPC to be inaugurated by the Vice-President of India, ShriVenkaiah Naidu, along with Sun Pharma MD DilipShanghvi, and other key members

Organized by the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress Association (IPCA), the three-day mega annual event is set to be held from December 21 to 23, 2018

New Delhi : Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC) is held every year in the country under the aegis of Indian Pharmaceutical Congress Association (IPCA) which is a federation of five professional pharmaceutical bodies, namely,Indian Pharmacy Graduates’ Association (IPGA) Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA), Association of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India (APTI), Indian Hospital Pharmacists’ Association (IHPA) and All India Drugs Control Officers’ Confederation (AIDCOC)

This year IPGA, the national body of pharmacy graduates, is set to host the 70th session of the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC), the largest congregation of pharmacists and pharmaceutical professionals.IPGA, founded in 1973, undertakes to improve the professional status of pharmacy graduates and to secure their rightful positions in pharmacy and other allied professions.

 The 70th IPC will be inaugurated on December 21st by the Vice-President of India, ShriVenkaiah Naidu, and presided by DilipShanghvi, President of 70th IPC and Managing Director of Sun Pharma. The three-day mega annual event is set to be held at Amity University, Noida, Delhi NCR from December 21 to 23, 2018, is set to attract more than 8,000 delegates this year from all the sections of the pharma fraternity.

Dr Ashok K. Chauhan, Founder President, Amity Universities and Institutions.; along with R.C. Juneja,  Chairman, Mankind Pharma Ltd. who are the Chief Patrons of the 70th IPC will be present on the occasion along with Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) B.R. Sikri and Organizing Secretary-LOC AtulNasa.

With the rapid growth of the Indian pharma economy, which is expected to reach US $100 billion by 2025, the 70th edition of IPC selected its theme “Pharma Vision 2030: Indian Pharma Industry – A Global Leader".

Commenting on the selection of the theme, DilipShanghvi, MD of Sun Pharma and President of 70th IPC, in a statement, said, “There is an urgent need to reinforce and rebuild standards with statutory bodies and to restore the confidence of  pharmacy graduates. The quality of education has to be improved by industrial participation so that the stakeholders are accepted in the global pharma industry. The regulatory policies of India are to be harmonized so that India becomes global leader in pharma, including generics, active pharmaceutical ingredients, medical devices and diagnostics.”

Currently, the Indian pharmaceutical sector accounts for about 3.1-3.6% of the global pharma industry in value terms and 10% in volume terms.  Moreover, the Indian pharma industry is witnessing a market growth of 12.8% due to an increase in consumer spending, rapid urbanization, and  increase in healthcare insurance.

Over the years, IPC has evolved as a platform for showcasing the progress made by pharma professionals in India. The unique feature of the IPC is that it has helped create more awareness of the pharmacy profession in the country.

The 70th IPC, with its power-packed scientific programs is set to leave an indelible mark in the minds of pharma professionals, while demonstrating the latest advances in the pharma sector in the areas of drug development, manufacture and regulatory framework.The scientific sessions will delve into new frontiers of drug discovery, drug development, pharmaceutical regulations and other related fields.

The event will see discourses on latest burning topics/challenges being faced by the pharma profession, which  include regulatory landscape of the Indian pharma industry; addressing talent gaps in the industry; India’s  dependence on cheaper APIs from China; mushrooming of e-pharmacies in  the country and its ripple effect on the brick and mortar stores; and  prescribing only generic drugs instead of branded generics.

Moreover, the conference will help in disseminating scientific knowledge and facilitate exchange of new ideas among the members of the pharmacy profession.  Other focus areas include increasing leadership of the women working within the pharmacy profession, newly designed ‘Job Fair’ for student delegates, and a road-map for the Indian pharma industry to meet the demands of the most  ambitious health insurance scheme “Ayushman Bharat”. Based on discussions held during the congress and the problems faced by the pharmacy profession, resolutions are passed by the organizing Association and forwarded to the concerned authorities.