Strengthening our Regulatory Relationships in India

Posted on February 24, 2016 by FDA Voice

By: Mathew T. Thomas and Dean Rugnetta

India’s economic expansion is in part due to the tremendous growth in the pharmaceutical industry. The United States is a large consumer of medical products, and India is one of the largest suppliers of its drug products. And our important work together remains an FDA priority.

Investigator Daniel Roberts (FDA India Office) and an Indian Regulator sharing inspectional approaches for current good manufacturing practices for pharmaceuticals during the workshop in Ahmedabad

We are working with our counterparts in the Indian government to ensure the medical products manufactured there, especially those for export to the U.S., meet FDA’s safety and quality requirements. FDA established an office in India in 2008, in part to promote government-to-government interactions like these and to keep pace with rapid developments and innovations in the pharmaceutical sector.

In November 2015, representatives from FDA’s India Office, our Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA), and Office of International Programs (OIP), partnered with the India Government’s Central Drug Standards Control Organization (CDSCO), to share inspectional techniques and guidance for conducting current good manufacturing practices of pharmaceutical facilities.

Carmelo Rosa (CDER), Denise DiGiulio (CDER), and an Indian Regulator discuss Quality By Design guidance with the workshop participants in Ahmedabad

Training sessions were provided in two cities (Ahmedabad and Bengaluru) for about 200 Indian regulators representing CDSCO and some of the State drug control agencies. The training was an example of the cooperation by both agencies to increase knowledge and skills, thereby contributing to the health and welfare of citizens in both countries.

The collaboration resulted in representatives from both agencies learning more about the regulatory perspectives of the other – and doing so first-hand. It was clear from the interactions that the Indian inspectors had extensive knowledge of FDA and of the international techniques for conducting inspections. The FDA representatives at the sessions benefited from input regarding the differences between FDA and Indian legislation and regulations. And as new inspectors comprised the majority of attendees, there was the opportunity for learning on both sides.

FDA Workshop Team in Bangaluru. Front Row – Denise DiGiulio (CDER), Carmelo Rosa (CDER), Leslie Ball (Office of International Programs), Mathew Thomas (India Office), Thomas Cosgrove (CDER), Thomas Arista (ORA). Back Row: Shiva Prasad (India Office), Daniel Roberts (India Office), Solomon Yimam (India Office)

Senior officials from the Government of India attended both events and affirmed their goals of ensuring patient safety and of collaborating with FDA to make sure that products from India are safe and meet appropriate quality standards.

FDA and Government of India regulators will continue leveraging knowledge and strengths to ensure patient safety in India and product quality of FDA-regulated pharmaceuticals.

Mathew T. Thomas is the Director of FDA’s India Office in New Delhi, India

Dean Rugnetta is the Deputy Director in FDA’s India Office in New Delhi, India