India will have a new drug policy by April

By next April, India will unveil a new drugs and pharmaceutical policy,the country's Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister, Suresh Prabhu, has said.

"The new policy will be based on affordability and availability...[of] quality, life-saving drugs and drugs for common diseases," the Indian Economic Times quoted the Minister as saying in an interview. The pharmaceutical industry must cater to this demand, and it is free to make any profits thereafter, Mr Prabhu said.

The government would have extensive discussions with the pharmaceutical industry before taking any decision on reducing the number of drugs under the Drug Price Control Order of 1995 or working out a new drug policy, he added, and Mr Prabhu noted that currently 65% of all drugs marketed in India are not covered by the DPCO.