The Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA) will support its member-companies in implementing the Revised Schedule M rules for quality upgradation of drugs manufactured in India by providing legal and technical suggestions and advice by organizing webinar-type seminars and meetings to educate them, according to Dr S V Veeramani, past president of the IDMA and chairman of the Pharmexcil. Talking to Pharmabiz after attending the IDMA’s EC meeting in Gujarat, he said the discussion-points in the meeting cannot be divulged with anybody, but said, in the present situation in the pharma sector the MSMEs need support of the association and it will be provided. “We are planning to organize a series of webinar-type seminars and meetings for those companies with less than Rs. 250 crore turnover and are engaged in the compliance activities. In each state, the state branch of the association will take the initiative to support their member-companies,” he said by adding that the Tamil Nadu IDMA will start the webinar very soon, in which all the members will become participants. According to Dr Veeramani, there are about 10 companies in Tamil Nadu having a turnover of over Rs. 250 crore and they are all fully compliant with the new Schedule M norms. As far as the Non-MSMEs in Tamil Nadu are concerned they are fully compliant and there is no need for further compliance. They are waiting for the inspections to be conducted by the state regulator. The drug controller M Sridhar said the ADCs will start the inspections from next week. After the inspection, the DC will call for a meeting of industry stakeholders to help them for anomalies, if anything is found. Later, Sridhar said since he is very much friendly with the industry and wants to support the industry in the state, he will organize the stakeholders’ meeting next week to understand their problems first. Afterwards only he will go for inspections.
“We want industry and we want to know what their problems are. The department is always ready to save them from their entire crisis and willing to do whatever possible for their existence because the pharma industry is the backbone of the pharma sector in Tamil Nadu. So, if they need further time, their demand will be taken to the government. The inspections will start after the stakeholders meeting,” he told Pharmabiz. When asked how the TN IDMA will organize the seminars, Dr. Veeramani said the association will act as a monitoring body and a supportive body. Every week there will be a meeting of the industry stakeholders and in some of the meetings regulatory officers will also be invited to talk. To another question whether any manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu has closed down, he said there is no unit in the state that has either closed down or wants to close down.
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