Last Updated on September 23, 2020 by The Health Master
In a bid to encourage pharma MSMEs to equip themselves to meet the regulatory requirements of Pharmaceutical Inspection Cooperation Scheme (PICS), the department of pharmaceuticals (DoP) is planning to set up 10 clusters in the country under its cluster development scheme with a grant-in-aid of Rs. 20 crore for each cluster.
The interest subvention of five per cent will also be offered under the scheme.
Navdeep Rinwa, joint secretary, DoP made this announcement recently while addressing a video conference organized by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) on “The Future of Pharma Industry” to showcase the potential of Haryana attracting the investors to the state.
The cluster development programme for pharma sector (CDS-PS) was launched by the DoP on June 17, 2015 to provide support to pharma SMEs to enhance their quality, productivity and innovative capabilities.
The aim of the scheme is to increase competitiveness, easy access to standard testing facilities and value addition in the domestic pharma industry especially to SMEs through creation of common world class facilities such as common testing facilities, training centre, R&D centres, effluent treatment plant common logistics centre.
It will help industry meet the requirements of standards of environment at a reduced cost through innovative methods of common waste management system. The cost of production will be reduced by 20% in the clusters leading to better availability and affordability medicines in the domestic market.
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Said Rinwa, India is taking steps to join PICS which will benefit the drug industry. For this, the drug units are required to upgrade/set up plants complying with global regulatory requirements and central and state drug regulators need to be trained along with upgradation of research facilities.
The PICS membership offers a slew of benefits including reduced duplication of inspections, cost savings, export facilitation and enhanced market access. Currently 52 regulatory bodies from across the globe including US FDA, MHRA, PDMA are members of PICS.
The joint secretary, DoP said to make Indian drug industry competitive vis-a-vis China which is able to produce economically because of high scale of production, the government is giving preference to high scale and high quality manufacturing.
The government has approved four schemes, two each for bulk drugs and medical devices parks. He exhorted the industry and the states to come forward and participate in these schemes.
He said that the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes for promoting domestic manufacturing of KSMs, DIs and APIs and medical devices will go a long way in boosting domestic manufacturing of 53 bulk drugs for which India is critically dependent on imports.
Speaking on the occasion, Sham Singla, chairman, Haryana Pharma Committee, PHDCCI said pharma is a thrust sector for most of the state governments and also for the central government. The Haryana government has come forward in terms of formulating lucrative industrial policies for new investors.
He added that the upcoming pharma cluster in Karnal and API Park in Panipat would go a long way in making Haryana a preferred pharma hub. Anurag Aggarwal, MD, HSIIDC informed that Haryana will bid for the pharmaceutical parks with full force and put forward the best proposals.
He said that Haryana is ideal for setting up of the pharmaceutical parks due to its strategic advantage as Haryana surrounds Delhi from three sides providing access to nearly 11 per cent of the domestic market. It has excellent road and air connectivity because 15 national highways are present in Haryana with four of them passing through Delhi-NCR region and has international airports in its vicinity at Delhi and Chandigarh.
B R Sikri, vice president, Bulk Drugs Manufacturers Association of India stressed that transparency, ease of doing business, location of all concerned offices in the park, single window system and deemed approval, competitive land cost etc will go a long way in success of proposed pharmaceutical parks in Haryana.
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