USP centre launched

Hyderabad: The Indian centre of United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) would enable Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers to be closer to the US in terms of business and manufacturing standards.

'Both countries can gain from mutual cooperation to eliminate redundancies in duplication of standards and to move towards global harmonisation of pharmaceutical standards,' Mr David Hopper, the US Consul General (Chennai), said.

Addressing a meeting organised to celebrate the opening of the centre here on Friday, he said the move would prove to be good for India, good for the US and good for public health. Dr Darrel R Abernethy, President of USP, said the centre would offer tremendous opportunity to serve people.

Dr J Geeta Reddy, AP Minister for Major Industries, Tourism, Commerce and Export Promotion, said the USP centre would create the necessary synergy to help the local pharma industry in developing new drugs and dietary supplements for the benefit of the State and the country.

She said the USP's presence here would go well with the new projects and initiatives being taken up by the State Government in the fields of health and pharmaceutical sectors.