In Hyderabad, United States Pharmacopeia has decided to set up space to train eager students in pharmaceuticals

USP has chosen Hyderabad as its destination to set up a permanent space for training pharma students
It has been 12 years since USP started its office in Hyderabad
It has been 12 years since USP started its office in Hyderabad

When United States Pharmacopeia (USP), a non-profit organisation that sets high-quality standards in the manufacturing and distribution of medicines by collaborating with the world's best health experts, wanted to set up their first office and laboratory space outside the US, they decided that Hyderabad was the place to be. And the result was the sprawling 112,000 square-foot space in IKP Knowledge Park, Shamirpet in 2006. Naturally, 12 years later, Hyderabad was their first choice again when they decided to launch their Global Education Programme. While the initiative was officially launched on June 29 by cabinet minister KT Rama Rao and other dignitaries, the classes start today, July 2, in a huge classroom in G Pulla Reddy College of Pharmacy, Mehdipatnam.

USP was founded in 1820. They and the Ministry of AYUSH signed an MoU in 2016 for cooperation in the field of traditional medicine and more

But this is not to say that USP has not ventured into education before. For 25 years, they have been regularly training institutes and regulators worldwide and helping them understand what's new in the field of Pharmaceuticals and how to implement them. They've also conducted workshops, scientific conclaves and more. But with this initiative, informs Dr K V Surendranath, Senior VP, Global Sites, they want to bridge the skill gap that exists. "Anyone can have the knowledge, but when it comes to skill, you have to train for it," says the IIT Roorkee alumnus, when we met him at ITC Kakatiya in Hyderabad recently. This belief is why experienced faculty from USP US and India — with a good balance of academia and industry experts — will be training the trainers vigorously. 

And this could prove to be beneficial in more ways than one. Take for example Regulatory Science, which is a rapidly changing field. "India being an outsourcing company, which exports 50% of its products globally, the expectations and pressure to adhere to the international regulatory standards are higher," explains the VP. So, there is a need to impart sophisticated skills that help maintain quality through the process of manufacturing, given that there is no scope for error in this industry. As always, both knowledge and skill must go hand-in-hand for a successful shot in the field of Pharmaceuticals. 

Because Hyderabad is one of the pharmaceutical hubs in India, USP decided to kickstart this education initiative here

As Dr Surendranath has previously worked in Hyderabad in Matrix Laboratories Ltd (now Mylan), we ask him about the growing scope of the field in this city. Availability of talent, several scientific libraries, and well-known synthetic industries are the factors he highlights that have taken the city far in the field of Pharmaceuticals and now that the local government is thinking about another pharma city in the outskirts, Hyderabad is poised to go even further, he concludes.     

For more on them, click on usp.org

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