IPC is committed to strengthen pharmacovigilance and materiovigilance activities
The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), Ghaziabad, an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, signed three Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nagaland Medical Council, Nagaland State Drugs Control Administration (NSDCA), Department of Health & Family Welfare, Nagaland and State Pharmacy Council, Government of Nagaland, during the One-Day Training Programme on Pharmacovigilance and Materiovigilance organized by Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission Ghaziabad in collaboration with Nagaland State Drugs Control Administration (NSDCA), Department of Health & Family Welfare, Nagaland.
The programme was aimed at strengthening IPC’s collaborative efforts in promoting public health by facilitating the use of Indian Pharmacopoeia Reference Substances and Impurity Standards in drug testing laboratories under NSDCA, safe and rational use of medicines, enhancing Pharmacovigilance and Materiovigilance activities, and advancing patient safety initiatives across the state of Nagaland.
The MoU was signed by Dr V Kalaiselvan, Secretary-cum-Scientific Director, IPC, with Dr Kevilhulie Meyase, Registrar, Nagaland Medical Council and Imlilila, Assistant Drugs Controller, NSDCA, and Khele Thorie, Registrar, Nagaland State Pharmacy Council, in the presence of representatives from these organisations. The inaugural session of the one-day training programme was also attended by Shri Hoveyda Abbas, AS&FA, MoHFW, Government of India, and Shri Anoop Khinchi, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Nagaland.
Notably, the MoU with Nagaland Drugs Control Administration is IPC’s second MoU followed by UPFDA and the first-of-its-kind in the North Eastern region. The MoU with Nagaland Medical Council is the first MoU with any State Medical Council in the country for promotion of Pharmacovigilance Programme of India & Materiovigilance Programme of India aimed to promote patient safety up to the level of Primary Health Centres in the country. The MoU with the State Pharmacy Council, Government of Nagaland, is the fourth state Pharmacy council in the country to sign an MoU for safe and rational use of medicines, enhancing Pharmacovigilance and Materiovigilance activities, and advancing patient safety initiatives.
Through this MoU, IPC is committed to work together with all three organisations, NSDCA and Nagaland State Pharmacy Council and Nagaland Medical Council to strengthen pharmacovigilance and materiovigilance activities, promoting adverse events reporting with use of drugs/medical devices, utilisation of the National Formulary of India (NFI) as a standard reference document across healthcare facilities in Nagaland supporting rational dispensing and safe medication practices.
In addition, this MoU will promote capacity building to all stakeholders, including healthcare professionals (Physicians, Pharmacists, Nurses, etc) involved in pharmacovigilance and materiovigilance practices, scientific personnel involved in quality control of medical products, and safe use of medicines through mandatory use of the National Formulary of India & facilitate annual observance of the National Pharmacovigilance Week in collaboration with IPC.
The MoU is expected to enhance professional engagement, encourage wider participation in ADR reporting through the establishment of ADR monitoring centres/Medical Device Monitoring centres, and reinforce medicine safety surveillance mechanisms in the region. IPC is committed to providing all possible technical guidance and expert support for these initiatives, while NSDCA and Nagaland State Pharmacy Council will coordinate with Medical Colleges/ Hospitals/ Pharmacists/Drugs Inspectors/Industry Stakeholders, and other healthcare professionals in both public and private healthcare establishments to ensure effective implementation of the agreed activities.
The collaboration between IPC and NSDCA, Nagaland State Pharmacy Council, and Nagaland Medical Council reflects IPC’s shared commitment to improving medication safety and strengthening patient safety through structured capacity-building and the promotion of safe use of medicines in the region.
