The government has moved to strengthen drug quality oversight and patient safety through two institutional partnerships, with a focus on expanding testing of medicines sold under the Jan Aushadhi scheme and building capacity in pharmaceutical research.

The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has signed memoranda of understanding with the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) and the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Hajipur, the government said in a statement on Thursday.

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The collaboration with PMBI will focus on tightening quality assurance for medicines distributed through Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs), which supply low-cost generic drugs across the country.

Under the agreement, PMBI may submit randomly selected batches of medicines from Jan Aushadhi outlets to IPC for testing, introducing an additional layer of independent quality verification.

“The MoU aims to enhance the quality assurance framework for medicines made available through Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras,” the government said.

The two agencies will also work to promote the use of the National Formulary of India across these outlets to encourage rational prescribing and dispensing practices.

It will also seek to strengthen pharmacovigilance activities by expanding adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting mechanisms. “The partnership will further promote… pharmacovigilance and encourage ADR reporting,” the statement said.

This includes the display of the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI) QR code and helpline at Jan Aushadhi centres to improve reporting and monitoring of drug safety.

Training and awareness programmes for pharmacists and stakeholders will also be conducted, focusing on rational drug use, pharmacovigilance and patient safety.

The second memorandum, signed with NIPER Hajipur, aims to strengthen research and standard-setting in the pharmaceutical sciences, particularly in biologics and emerging therapies.

“The collaboration will include joint research programmes on impurity profiling, including genotoxic impurities such as nitrosamines,” the government said.

It will also focus on developing analytical methods, quality control protocols and reference standards for biologics, biosimilars and emerging therapies such as cell and gene treatments for inclusion in the Indian Pharmacopoeia.

In addition, the partnership will cover academic exchange, training programmes, and shared use of analytical infrastructure, along with internships and fellowships.

Published on: Apr 24, 2026 1:09 PM IST