INDIAN PHARMACOPOEIA (IP)

Related Topic in KAS Prelims Syllabus:

Science and Technology [Paper-II]: Public Health and Community Medicine, Health Care

News

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has become the first country to formally recognize Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP).

What is Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP)?

• Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) is published by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) on behalf of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India in fulfillment of the requirements of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules 1945 there under.
• It is recognized as the official book of standards for the drugs being manufactured and/or marketed in India.
• It contains a collection of authoritative procedures of analysis and specifications of drugs for their identity, purity and strength.
• The standards of the IP are authoritative in nature and are enforced by the regulatory authorities for ensuring the quality of drugs in India.
• During quality assurance and at the time of dispute in the court of law the IP standards are legally acceptable.

Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC)

• It is an Autonomous Institution of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India.
• IPC was established by executive orders in 1945 according to the Indian Drugs and Cometics Act, 1940. It is headquartered in Ghaziabad, U.P.
• It is created to set standards of drugs in the country. Its basic function is to update regularly the standards of drugs commonly required for treatment of diseases prevailing in this region.
• It publishes official documents for improving Quality of Medicines by way of adding new and updating existing monographs in the form of Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP).
• It further promotes rational use of generic medicines by publishing National Formulary of India.
• IP prescribes standards for identity, purity and strength of drugs essentially required from health care perspective of human beings and animals.
• IPC also provides IP Reference Substances (IPRS) which act as a finger print for identification of an article under test and its purity as prescribed in IP.