- Why in news
- On 27 August 2026, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission held a scientific conclave at NIPER Guwahati, its first in the Northeast. It launched its first-ever phytochemical and botanical reference standards.
- What it is
- The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission is an autonomous body under the Union Health Ministry. It prepares and updates the Indian Pharmacopoeia, which sets official quality standards for drugs made, sold or imported in India. It also runs the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India and supplies reference substances used to test drug quality.
- Parent ministry
- IPC works under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
- First reference standards
- IPC launched seven phytochemical (IPPRS) and five botanical (IPBRS) reference standards. This is the first time the Commission has introduced such standards.
- First in Northeast
- The conclave was the first IPC interactive meeting held in the Northeast region.
- Who runs IPC
- Dr. V. Kalaiselvan is Secretary-cum-Scientific Director of IPC.
- Legal basis
- The Indian Pharmacopoeia is the official book of drug standards under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. IPC is based in Ghaziabad.
Don’t confuse with IPC vs CDSCO: IPC sets drug quality standards through the Pharmacopoeia. CDSCO, headed by the Drugs Controller General of India, approves drugs and enforces the law.
Laws, judgments and statutory bodies: 30 Prelims questions since 2013 (what the law says, who chairs, legal basis). In Mains, 44 news-triggered questions, most in GS2, asking for provisions and challenges.
Why it matters
- Standard reference substances help ensure consistent quality in herbal medicines, which lack uniform standards.
- They link traditional knowledge to modern regulation and can support affordable healthcare and exports.
Problems
- Herbal raw material varies with source, season and processing, which makes standardisation hard.
- Many herbal products are regulated under AYUSH rules, so oversight is split across regulators.
Way forward
- Extend reference standards to more medicinal plants and widely used formulations.
- Align AYUSH and drug regulators on common quality norms and strengthen testing labs.
Put in your answer
IPC reference standards: IPC's first phytochemical and botanical reference standards cover plants such as Tinospora cordifolia, Bacopa monnieri and Ocimum sanctum, an example of standardising traditional medicine.
- 2014Mains GS3 · Q11Whether overuse of antibiotics causes drug resistance; monitoring and control mechanisms.
- 2013Mains GS3 · Q14Define fixed dose drug combinations and discuss their merits and demerits.
- 2015Mains GS2 · Q16Discuss whether regulatory institutions must remain independent and autonomous, citing experience.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Statutory-type body setting drug standards; first reference standards launched. Statutory bodies drew only 7 Prelims questions.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.