Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, inaugurated the 19th International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities (ICDRA), in New Delhi. The event which is being hosted for the first time in India, from 14^th – 18^th October by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) brought together regulatory authorities, policymakers, and health officials from over 194 WHO member states.

The 19th ICDRA will emphasise strengthening global regulatory systems through partnerships and collective efforts. Regulatory authorities from various nations will discuss challenges and opportunities in harmonising regulations for medical products, addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and advancing traditional medicines.

Health Minister stated that more than 95% regulatory processes currently have been digitised at CDSCO, bringing transparency and increasing trust among stakeholders. He also stated, “Considering the importance of medical devices in healthcare delivery, Medical Device industry in India is also being regulated. Drugs Rules have been amended to make Good Manufacturing Practice Guidelines more comprehensive and at par with the WHO-GMP guidelines.”

It was also pointed out that in order to make drug supply chain robust, it has been made mandatory to provide Bar Code or Quick Response Code (QR Code) on top 300 brands of drug products. Similarly, QR Code is mandatory on all API packs, either being imported or manufactured in India.

Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Drugs Controller General of India highlighted India’s achievements in drugs control and medical devices sector, including the approval of India’s first CAR T-cell therapy. “We are continuously upgrading our skills and capacities in our systems and are on a path towards low regulation and high execution”, he said.