National conference on pharmaceutical quality assurance and GMP guidelines held at AMTZ in Visakhapatnam

A national conference on ‘Enhancing Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance through Good Manufacturing Practices’ was organised by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India, in association with the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) and the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) at Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ), here on Wednesday.

The conference was organised with the technical support of the Drugs Control Administration(DCA), Visakhapatnam, and Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) Sub Zone Visakhapatnam. The event witnessed the participation of approximately 150 delegates, including representatives from pharmaceutical units in Parawada and Atchuthapuram clusters, as well as academicians and industry experts

The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Jitendar Sharma, Managing Director and CEO, AMTZ, who delivered the opening address. Dharmendra Kumar Yadav, Under Secretary (Pharmaceutical Policy), Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India, briefed the attendees on the various industry support initiatives undertaken by the Union government to bridge resource gaps and enhance infrastructure upgradation.

Assistant Director, Drugs Administration, Visakhapatnam, S. Vijaya Kumar, emphasised the conference’s objective of fostering a deeper understanding and implementation of the revised Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines, which were aligned with the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards. K. Bhuvaneswari, ADC(I), Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), highlighted the significant role played by the State and the Central drug control authorities in ensuring regulatory compliance and quality assurance.

In the technical session on “Enhancing Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance through Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)“, M. Srinivas Rao, Drugs Inspector, Visakhapatnam, stressed on the importance of harmonising GMP standards and the critical need for infrastructure and equipment upgrades to comply with the revised Schedule M norms.

Yaswanth Shinde, Manager, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), presented insights into the Revamped Pharmaceutical Technology Upgradation Assistance Scheme (RPTUAS).

Nasir Jamal, Director, PHDCCI, Poosarla Rajesh, Managing Director, PBL Transports and secretary, the Vizagapatam Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Kilari Eswar Kumar, secretary and treasurer, IPA, Visakhapatnam, Jatin Nagpal, joint secretary, PHDCCI and Drugs Inspectors Kuna Kalyani (Visakhapatnam) and N. Kalyani (Paderu) were among those who participated.