Pharma Export Promotion Council of India (PHARMEXCIL or CAPEXIL)

International Exhibition for Pharma and Healthcare Exhibition 2024 is a three day pharma expo that will offer the domestic industry majors from India that was recently organised by PHARMEXCIL.

• Pharma Export Promotion Council of India (PHARMEXCIL or CAPEXIL) is the nodal agency to represent Drugs, Pharmaceutical & Healthcare industry in the global arena.
• It is mandated to help to its members achieve excellence in exports and facilitate overseas buyers to find suitable trade partners from the Indian pharma industry.
• PHARMEXCIL acts as a single contact point for the overseas buyers and investors by providing list of manufacturers / exporters of the Pharma Products.
• It provide assistance in co-ordinating appointments for the overseas buyers / investors during their visits to India through its offices at Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.
• Functions of the council – Represents Government of India and other agencies in India and abroad to get amicable solutions for the common problems of the Industry.
• To make suggestions to government of India on policy relating to pharma products.
•   It is tasked to issue the certificate of origin and Registration cum Membership Certificate.
• It assists its members to get their MAI (Market Access Incentives) claims refunded from Government of India.
• It organizes business meetings in India and abroad and also organize trade delegations abroad.
• The products and services falling under purview of Pharmexcil include:
  • Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and Finished Dosage Forms (FDF),
  • Biologics, Diagnostics, Surgicals and Nutraceuticals,
  • Collaborative Research, Contract Manufacturing, Clinical Trials & Consultancy and .Regulatory Services.
• The products and services such as Herbal/ Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy falls under the purview of Ministry of Ayush.
• International Exhibition For Pharma And Healthcare Exhibition (IPHEX 2024) – It is 3 day pharma expo that will offer the domestic industry majors from India and all across the world a great platform to connect and do business.
• It was organised by Pharma Export Promotion Council of India (CAPEXIL) and Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• It will provide you with an opportunity to meet new and existing customers actively looking for new suppliers, or looking to assess the current progress of existing projects.

Indian Port Association (IPA)

Recently a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Bipartite Wage Negotiation Committee and the Indian Port Association to avert the indefinite strike that was set to disrupt operations across 12 major ports in India.

• Indian Ports Association (IPA) was constituted in 1966 under Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• It was constituted primarily with the idea of fostering growth and development of all Major Ports which are under the supervisory control of Ministry of Shipping.
• Objectives – To undertake and promote Techno-Economic Studies and Research into matters pertaining to the Planning Organization.
• To offer complete solutions to Port Management and to create a resource of information as a tool for decision making.
• To promote the culture of Uniformity and Standardisation in the port functioning.
• All 13 Indian Major Ports are the member ports of it. The 13 major ports are:
  • Kolkatta Port Trust
  • Haldia Dock Complex
  • Paradip Port Trust
  • Visakhapatnam Port Trust
  • Chennai Port Trust
  • V.O.Chidambarar Port Trust
  • Cochin Port Trust
  • New Mangalore Port Trust
  • Mormugao Port Trust
  • Mumbai Port Trust
  • Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust
  • Deendayal Port Trust
  • Kamarajar Port Limited (private port)
• There are 13 major ports (including Kamarajar Port Limited) and 200 non-major ports (minor ports) in the country.
• The Major Ports are under the administrative control of Ministry of Shipping.
•  The non-major ports are under the jurisdiction of respective State Maritime Boards/ State Government.

Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet Modernization Program

• Voluntary Vehicle Modernization Program is aimed at creating an eco-system for phasing out of unfit and polluting vehicles.
• It was launched by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
• It will create a robust ecosystem for safer roads and structured scrappage sector through a network of registered vehicle scrapping facilities and automated testing stations.
• Presently, there are sixty-plus (60+) RVSFs across 17 States / UTs and seventy-five (75+) ATSs across 12 States / UTs operational in the country with many more in the pipeline.
• Objectives – To reduce pollution by scrapping around 1 Cr vehicles without valid fitness and registration.
• Improvement of road, passenger and vehicular safety and to improve fuel efficiency and reduce maintenance cost for vehicle owners.
• The sales in the auto sector can be boosted and employment can be created.
• To formalize the currently informal vehicle scrappage industry and Boost availability of low-cost raw materials for automotive, steel and electronics industry.
• Various incentive under the program include:
  • Scrap Value for the old vehicle given by the scrapping centre, approximately 4-6% of ex-showroom price of a new vehicle.
  • Draft rules notified for state governments to offer concession on motor vehicle tax of up to 25% for non-transport vehicles and up to 15% for transport vehicles.
  • Registration fees to be waived off for purchase of new vehicle against the certificate of deposit - draft notification issued.
  • Auto original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) has been advised to provide 5% discount on purchase of new vehicle against the certificate of deposit.

• Criteria for Scrapping of Vehicles at RVSF include:
  • Vehicles which have not renewed their Certificate of Registration in accordance with Rule 52 of the CMVR, 1989.
  • Vehicles which have not been granted a certificate of fitness in accordance with Section 62 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
  • Vehicles which have been damaged due to fire, riot, natural disaster, accident or any calamity, following which the registered owner self certifies the same as scrap.
  • Vehicles that have been declared obsolete or surplus or beyond economic repair by the Central/State Organizations of the government and have been offered for scrapping.
  • Vehicles bought in auction for scrapping the vehicles by any agency including RVSF.
  • Vehicles which have outlived their utility or application particularly for projects in mining, highways, power, farms, factories, airports, etc. as may be self-certified by the owner.
  • Manufacturing rejects, test vehicles, prototype, vehicles damaged during transportation from vehicle OEMs to dealers or unsold/unregistered vehicles, as may be certified by the Vehicle OEM.
  • Auctioned, impounded and abandoned vehicles by any Enforcement Agency.
  • Vehicles voluntarily offered to an RVSF for scrapping, at the discretion of the owner.

Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)

The annual meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) just began recently in Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga.

• Pacific Islands Forum is an intergovernmental organisation which consists of 18 member states located in the Pacific region.
• Australia and New Zealand are among the wealthiest and largest countries which are part of the organisation.
• It was formed in the year 1971 and the 18 members are:

• The PIF aims to push for economic growth, enhance political governance and security for the region, and strengthen regional cooperation.
• The organisation discusses priority issues at its annual meeting, where decisions made by the member states are reached by consensus.
• The decisions are implemented by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.
• PIF members have been pushing to raise funds for climate action.
• The Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), a regional financing facility established by PIF is currently USD 380 million short of its USD 500 million target, according to a report by Nikkei Asia.
• The Asian country signed security and policing agreements with the Solomon Islands, in particular, setting off alarm bells in Australia and the US.
• This year’s PIF meeting features the forum’s largest-ever delegation from China and a sizable deputation from the US.

Fixed-Dose Combination (FDC) Drugs

The government has recently banned 156 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs, including popular medicines such as Cheston Cold and Foracet, used for cold and fever and pain respectively.

• FDCs are medicines that have more than one active ingredient (chemical compounds) in medicines that have an effect on the body in a single pill, capsule or shot.
• They FDCs are meant for patients with conditions such as tuberculosis and diabetes for which they need to take multiple medicines regularly.
• FDCs reduce the number of pills the patient needs to take each day and help improve adherence to the treatment.
• Sometimes, however, an FDC could mean that a patient ends up taking a drug that they may not need.
• Example – Cheston Cold contains paracetamol for fever, cetirizine for allergy relief and phenylephrine for nasal decongestion.
• So, while this drug will help people who have these symptoms because of allergies, it is not really required for a bacterial infection.
• The FDCs recently banned by the government of India are:
  • Several combinations of enzymes used for treatment of gastrointestinal problems,
  • Combinations of anti-allergic medicines such as levocetirizine with nasal decongestant, syrups that break down mucus and paracetamol,
  • Combinations used for the treatment of skin conditions, including menthol with aloe vera,
  • Aloe vera with vitamin E in the form of medicated soap,
  • Silver sulfadiazine (used for burns) with an antiseptic agent, aloe extract and vitamin,
  • Calamine lotion with aloe and a natural substance (for skin irritation),
  • Combination of a migraine medicine with one to prevent nausea and
  • Combination of the drug mefenamic acid that are usually used for menstrual cramps with anti-fibrotic medicine tranexamic acid.
• These “irrational” combinations have been banned because they contain ingredients that either do not work well together or have ingredients that are not needed by patients to be taken together.
• Reasons for the ban – Unnecessary consumption of antibiotics can lead to increase in antibiotic resistance.
• To control the price on essential medicines, since companies are known to create FDCs to escape the pricing control mechanism.