Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC)

Why in news?

• Recently, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) and the Ministry of Health of Suriname, aiming to recognize the Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) as a standard for medicines in Suriname.

About Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC):

• IPC is an Autonomous Institution of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• IPC is created to set standards of drugs in India. Its basic function is to regularly update 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 the health care perspective of human beings and animals.
• IPC also provides IP Reference Substances (IPRS) which act as a fingerprint for identification of an article under test and its purity as prescribed in IP.

Add ons:

• Suriname is a country located on the northeastern coast of South America.
• It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Brazil to the south, and Guyana to the west.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements:

1. It is an autonomous institution of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

2. It is created to set standards of drugs in India

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer