New Delhi, August 5: The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, participated in the 10th anniversary meeting of the South-East Asia Regulatory Network (SEARN) held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from August 4-5.
Representatives from national regulatory authorities (NRAs), pharmacopoeias, and international organizations from the South-East Asia region attended the meeting. The gathering celebrated a decade of regional cooperation while emphasizing the need to strengthen regulatory systems to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of therapeutic products.
SEARN is a collaborative platform established by the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) to enhance regulatory systems among member countries. Since its inception in 2016, SEARN has promoted collaboration among national regulatory authorities through knowledge sharing, harmonization of regulatory processes, capacity building, and regulatory reliance mechanisms. The network operates through thematic working groups focused on key regulatory functions such as quality assurance, pharmacovigilance, monitoring of clinical trials, regulatory preparedness, and regulation of medical devices. Its shared goal is to improve the availability of safe, effective, and quality medical products across the region.
The IPC delegation included Dr. V. Kalaiselvan, Secretary-cum-Scientific Director, Senior Principal Scientific Officers Dr. Jai Prakash and Dr. Robin Kumar, and Scientific Officer Arvind Kumar Sharma.
During the meeting, IPC highlighted India’s ongoing commitment to strengthening the drug regulatory system and promoting the availability of quality medicines through internationally harmonized standards. The delegation presented key initiatives of IPC, including the development and publication of the Indian Pharmacopoeia, establishment of Indian Pharmacopoeia Reference Substances (IPRS) and Impurity Reference Standards (IMPRS), and activities under India’s Pharmacovigilance Program (PvPI) and Materiovigilance Program (MvPI), along with capacity-building programs and collaborative efforts with national and international stakeholders.
A significant achievement during the meeting was the recognition of IPC as a WHO-SEARN Regional Pharmacovigilance Excellence Center and Quality Technical Center. This prestigious recognition acknowledges IPC’s continuous contributions to strengthening pharmacovigilance systems, advancing pharmaceutical quality standards, and building regulatory capacity in the WHO South-East Asia region. This designation further reinforces IPC’s role as a leader in pharmacopoeial science and standards, as well as its commitment to promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing, and harmonization among member countries.
The meeting served as an important platform for exchanging scientific knowledge, sharing regulatory experiences, and discussing emerging challenges in pharmaceutical regulation, including quality assurance, safety, regulatory reliance, digital transformation, and regional cooperation. IPC reaffirmed its commitment to supporting collaborative initiatives that strengthen regulatory systems in the South-East Asia region and improve public health outcomes.
IPC’s participation in the 10th anniversary meeting of SEARN and its designation as a Regional Center of Excellence in pharmacovigilance and a technical center for quality mark another significant achievement in India’s contribution to regional regulatory cooperation. IPC is dedicated to supporting WHO SEARN initiatives, promoting regulatory excellence, and ensuring the availability of safe, effective, and quality-assured medical products for the people of the South-East Asia region.
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