Paswan announces opening of NIPER in Bihar

Patna, Jun 2 (UNI) Union Chemicals, Fertilizer and Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today announced that a centre of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) would be opened at Hajipur in Bihar.

Mr Paswan told newspersons here that Rs 150 crore would be invested for opening the institute and informed that the state government had agreed to provide 100 acres of land for the purpose.

He said that the institute besides awarding post graduate and doctoral degree in Pharmaceutical studies, would engage itself in the highest level of research and development. He said that the Hajipur centre would be the second centre of NIPER. The first one is located at Mohali in Punjab. Three more centres would be opened in Kolkata, Ahmedabad and also in Andhra Pradesh. He added that he would visit Hajipur on June 17 in this connection.

The union minister said that 354 more essential drugs had been added to the list of medicines which were covered under the government control. The number of drugs which were under the governments control was only 74 now but more medicines had been covered for ensuring that medicines were available at affordable and reasonable prices.

He said that the medicine buyers did not need to pay prices higher than those printed on crimps. The printed prices would cover Value Added Tax (VAT) chargeable on each sale. He said was chemists would not earn more than 35 per cent of Production Cost (PC) involved in the manufacture of a drug while the profit margin of a wholesale dealer would not go beyond 15 per cent of the PC.

The minister said huge gap in cost of production of a medicine and sale price, prompted the ministry to take such type of measures.

He said that names of drugs would be printed both in Hindi and English from October two this year. Drug companies had been given clear directions in this regard.

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