‘Regulators need to be cautious in pharma industry’

SHIMLA: Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur while interacting with the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry of Himachal Pradesh here on Wednesday said regulators should be very cautious while clearing the medicines from quality and efficacy point of view. Besides, regulatory framework should be strong enough to have full control over quality parameters by establishing well-equipped testing labs.

He said the state government had initiated steps at administrative, legislative and regulatory levels to check the menace of drugs. Value of human life was more important than anything else and thus there should be no scope for escape of those compromising on quality and efficacy, he added.

Thakur said pharma and cosmetic sectors in the state were playing a vital role not only in providing ample employment opportunities to the youth of state but also strengthening economic activities in the region. He said the basic amenities such as roads, health, education and water supply would be strengthened in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh belt in order to facilitate entrepreneurs. He said the issue of change of land use for industrial purpose would be considered sympathetically in order to facilitate the entrepreneurs. He said efforts would be made to provide best transportation facilities to industrialists to transport their products smoothly to different parts of the country.

The chief minister said more such interactive meetings would be held with representatives of pharma industry for better understanding and rapport. Health minister Vipin Singh Parmar said the pharma industry in the state was flourishing due to the special industrial package announced in 2003.