Odisha to get NIPER if land is made available

By Bandita Das

Bhubaneswar: The Central Government is ready to set up a National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Odisha if the state government would provide land and other necessary infrastructure, according to Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Srikant Jena.

“If the state Government agrees to provide land and other infrastructure to set up NIPER in the State, I will take up the matter with the Planning Commission in this regard for the development of pharmacy sector in the State,” he added saying that he has already discussed the matter with the state government and the Planning Commission”,

"Eastern India is lagging behind other states in pharma sector. The proposed Niper will go a long way to address the human resources issue. At the same time, the state governments in this region must come up with attractive policy framework to boost up pharma sector by wooing investment from across the world", Mr Jena said.

The minister said the state government had done precious little to boost up the pharma sector.

“The state government seems not interested to give a boost the Orissa Drugs and Chemicals Ltd.[ODCL] which has been making cash profit for last couple of years. If you [the state government] cannot develop the only big pharmaceutical company in joint venture, you must handover to us. That also they are not prepared”, he lamented. 

This is a profit making Joint Sector Undertaking promoted by Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited (IDPL) and the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Orissa (IPICOL). IDPL holds 51% of the equity shares and the rest is with IPICOL.  The company was incorporated in 1979 and commissioned fully for production from September, 1983. It manufactures pharmaceutical products and offers pharmaceutical formulations in the form of tablets, capsules, powders, and ointments.

Earlier on May 20 speaking at the Pharma Convention 2012 on “Empowerment of Pharmaceutical Sector,” Mr Jena underscored the need for promoting generic medicines and doctors have an important role to play.”The Central Government has launched Jan Ausadhi campaign by setting up Jan Ausadhi stores for providing medicines at affordable prices. Generic medicines should be available to common man at affordable prices”, he said.

In Odisha only 16 such counters are operational out of 25,000 retail shops, Mr Jena said adding that there should be at least 600 generic medicine units in the state.

Asserting that Pharmaceutical sector in India has a global presence with its share in the total pie of approvals for generic drugsr issing steadily, Mr Jena said, formulation exports from India, essentially generic drugs, have grown at 21% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2005-06 and 2010-11.

Organized by the Odisha Pharmacy Intellectual Forum and attended by over 550 delegates from the pharmaceutical sector from across the State, the Pharma Convention called for setting up a Task Force to look into various aspects to facilitate the development of this sector. Experts were unanimous that the state with a vast stretch of coast line dotted with ports can easily emerge as the investment destination for medium and mega pharmaceutical industries.