JUNE 16: Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Smt. Anupriya Patel, delivered the keynote address at the Second Policymakers’ Forum organized by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs. The four-day event (June 16–19, 2025) brings together policymakers and drug regulators from 24 countries to strengthen international cooperation on drug standards and access to affordable medicines.
The forum’s primary focus is on promoting the global acceptance of the Indian Pharmacopoeia and expanding collaboration through India’s flagship initiative—the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). Participating countries include Liberia, Kenya, Cuba, Jamaica (CARPHA), and others, reaffirming India’s rising credibility in global health governance.
In her address, Smt. Patel emphasized that India supplies 70% of WHO’s total vaccines and 14% of all generics imported by the US, making it a global hub for affordable healthcare. She credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for positioning India as a leader in health diplomacy, regulatory excellence, and vaccine manufacturing. She also highlighted the Vaccine Maitri initiative, through which India supplied COVID-19 vaccines to over 100 countries.
India has retained the WHO Global Benchmarking Tool Maturity Level 3 (ML3) for its drug regulatory systems, while 15 countries including Cuba now officially recognize the Indian Pharmacopoeia as a book of drug standards. Smt. Patel described this growing recognition as a step toward regulatory alignment and smoother international pharmaceutical trade.
Union Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava underlined India’s commitment to universal health coverage, highlighting schemes like Ayushman Bharat, which now covers 40% of the population and has helped reduce out-of-pocket health expenditure from 70% to 40% since 2004. Over 1.75 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been established, offering free drugs and diagnostics.
The event also featured the launch of a digital book commemorating IPC’s 15-year journey, technical presentations by CDSCO and IPC, and upcoming site visits to IPC labs, Jan Aushadhi Kendras, and pharmaceutical facilities in Agra and Ahmedabad, offering global delegates a firsthand look at India’s regulatory and healthcare ecosystem.