SCIENTIFIC SERVICES COMMITTEE

Success of 59th IPC Varanasi

The theme of the last year congress was "Pharma Vision 2020: Product, Patient and Practice" which was entirely justified by 72 resource persons from all over the country and abroad under the presidency of Dr. H.P. Tipnis.

The symposia’s were organized under following areas

• Pharmacopeias of the future
• Advances in Pharmaceutical Technology
• Rx to OTC
• Preclinical development: Challenges and Opportunities
• Multinational Clinical trials in India- Opportunities and Challenges
• Recent Advances in Natural Products
• Material Science: Fundamentals and Implications in Dosage Form Design
• Advances in Drug Discovery and Development
• Learning to Manage – Outsourcing Clinical Trials in India
• Impurities in Pharmaceuticals – Issues and Challenges
• Strategies for Smooth Entry In regulated Markets
• AAPS-AAIPS-IPA
• Pharmacy Practice: Vanity, Sanity and Reality
• Indian pharmaceutical Association Student Forum

More than 5 thousand delegates attended the congress.
More than 4 thousand research articles were received, out of which 1985 papers had been accepted for presentation.

Success of 60th IPC New Delhi

The theme of the last year congress was "Pharma Vision 2020: Regulations for Better Healthcare" which was entirely justified by 82 resource persons from all over the country and abroad under the presidency of Dr. Venkateswarlu Ex- DCG( I ), India. More than 7 thousand delegates attended the congress.

The Symposia’s were organized under following areas

• Pharmaceutical Outsourcing - Changing Paradigm
• Regulations for Drugs, Cosmetics and Medical Devices
• Strategies and Regulations for Development of Natural Health Products
• Mechanisms and Therapy of Heart Failure
• Innovative Cyclodextrins in Drug Delivery
• Regulations for Designing of formulations
• Target to Bull's Eye - Tribute to Abhinav Bindra
• Delivery through Skin - Innovations & Regulations
• Pharmacopoeias of Tomorrow
• Regulations for Better Tomorrow - International Perspective
• Regulations for Better Tomorrow - National Perspective
• Advances in Bio-analytical and Instrumental Techniques
• Healthcare Systems- New Directions
• Pharmaceutical Education in India: Past, Present and Future
• Smaller the Size Bigger the Benefits
• Indian Pharmaceutical Association Students' Forum (IPA-SF)
• Pharmacogenomics in Drug Discovery and Development - From Bench to Bedside
• Novel Strategies to Diagnose and Treat CNS Disorders
• Challenges in Drug Discovery & Synthesis
• Biomarkers for Drug Development and Sustainability

First time in the history of Indian Pharmaceutical Congress, the online submissions were successfully launched and reviewed online by international reputed scientists. More than four thousand research articles were received, out of which 2129 papers had been accepted for presentation. This is our one small step towards addressing Global Warming Issues.
Thanks for your great co-operation.

62nd Indian Pharmaceutical Congress

The three-day Congress of the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress Association (IPCA), which began on 17 December ended on 19 December 2010 with the valedictory function at Fortune Inn Valley View. The Congress set a new record for Manipal by hosting close to ten thousand people. It was the successful culmination of the efforts of scores of people that included the faculty, supporting staff, student volunteers of Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MCOPS) and other sister institutions of Manipal University.

After months of preparation, the meet began on 17 December 2010 with the inauguration. The Minister for Higher Education of Karnataka, Dr V S Acharya was the Chief Guest. The Chancellor and Pro Chancellor of Manipal University, Dr Ramdas M Pai and Dr H S Ballal, were present as Chief Patron and Chairman of Local Organising Committee, respectively. The President of IPCA Mr S L Nasa and the presidents of the five confederating bodies of IPCA were seated on the dais as per the accepted protocol for the inauguration of IPC. Two Guests of Honour, Dr B Suresh (President Pharmacy Council of India) and the noted entrepreneur Padmashri Dr B R Shetty, graced the occasion. Dr N Udupa and Dr C Mallikarjuna Rao were the other dignitaries on the stage.

The total number of participants for the Congress was about ten thousand. The break up was: student delegates 5450, other delegates 1550, spot registration 28, complimentary registration of 500, volunteers 600 and the rest comprised the local participants.

Elaborate arrangements were made to receive, transport, accommodate and feed the delegates and guests.

An exhibition on the sidelines of the Congress was hosted by Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). There were about 160 stalls exhibiting sophisticated instruments, software and books used in pharmaceutical industries and pharmacy colleges. Dr B R Shetty inaugurated the exhibition on 17 December 2010.

Success of 62nd IPC

Scientific Sessions at 63rd IPC, Bengaluru

The 63rd Indian Pharmaceutical Congress was held at Bengaluru between 16 and 18 December 2011. This time the onus of conducting this grand annual event rested upon the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA).

The scientific sessions of the congress were marked by active participation from the delegates, particularly the younger lot. As per the plans there were lectures, symposia, poster and oral presentations at the Congress. The scientific programmes were conducted with the help of the Scientific Services Committee (SSC), comprising members of IPCA and LOC. These members put in real hard work for the successful conduct of the sessions. The members were: Dr. N Udupa (Convenor), Dr T K Ravi, Dr M Ramanathan, Dr HG Shivakumar, Dr S P Dhanabal, Dr A Ramkishan, Dr P Suresh, Mr Kaushik Desai, Dr Premnath Shenoy, Dr G K Rao and Dr M Sreenivasa Reddy.

Out of an expected 83 speakers, 80 actually attended and took part in the deliberations. There was the President’s Panel discussion, 8 plenary lectures and 13 symposia. Besides, there was a Students’ Forum and Women Pharmacists’ discussion each. Thirty-nine experts donned the role of chairpersons/co-chairpersons for oral sessions.

There were four poster sessions. Although a whopping 5147 abstracts for posters were successfully uploaded, only 3167 passed the scrutiny. Of these 2101 were presented in 12 sections, coded A to L, each representing a particular specialisation of pharmacy. Pharmaceutical Technology recorded the highest number of posters (694). From each of the 12 sections, one best poster was selected for oral presentation. Two prizes for the top two posters from each section were given on the basis of evaluation by chairpersons. Hence, 24 prizes were given away. Dr M Sreenivas Reddy, Dr G K Rao and Dr Srinivas Mutalik (MCOPS, Manipal) supervised the smooth conduct of the poster sessions.

The participants very well appreciated the scientific programmes. In a survey conducted among 520 respondents, 348 ranked the sessions as very good or excellent, while another 119 felt the sessions were good.

The excellent coordination between the IPCA Scientific Committee, LOC Scientific Committee and Executive Committee resulted in the signal success of the scientific programmes of 63rd IPC. All the people- members, volunteers and others, who toiled tirelessly to see the programmes through deserve kudos.

Dr N Udupa
Convener Scientific Services - IPCA