PIB Summary- 18th December, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

National Digital Drugs Databank

Why in news?

Competition Commission of India has released a report titled “Market Study on the Pharmaceutical Sector in India:

• Key Findings and Observations”, wherein it has been recommended to create a National Digital Drugs Databank consolidating real-time data on active pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in the country, therapeutic class-wise/ formulation-wise approved branded/unbranded products etc.
  

Key Points:

• Aim: To create National Digital Drugs Databank. It will be created and made available to regulators, industry, physicians and consumers to address information asymmetry in the sector.
• It will help address ‘information asymmetry’ in pharma space.
• The study found that brand competition overrides price competition in the domestic market where generic formulations are marketed with distinct brand names.
• Pharmaceuticals including generic drugs account for about 43.2 per cent of pocket healthcare expenditure in India according to the CCI study and about 62.7 percent of the total health spending in the country.

Government Initiatives:

• Drug and Cosmetics Rules, 1945:
  (i) It is  implemented by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
  (ii) It was amended in the year 2019 making it mandatory for manufacturing licensees to register with portal SUGAM operated by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and upload information pertaining to the licences granted for manufacture for sale or distribution of drugs.
• National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA):
  (i) It works under the Department of Pharmaceutics, in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
  (ii) It has set up a Pharma Data Bank (PDB) through an Integrated Pharmaceutical Database Management System (IPDMS).
  (iii) This comprehensive online system provides a platform to the pharmaceutical manufacturer/ marketing/ importer/ distributor companies to file mandatory returns prescribed under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 (DPCO, 2013). 

Ulip Hackathon-Logixtics

Why in news?

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has launched the Unified Logistics Interface Platform’s (ULIP) Hackathon – ‘LogiXtics’ in order to crowdsource more ideas which will benefit the logistics industry.

Key Points:

• It is organised by NITI Aayog and Atal Innovation Mission and supported by National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) and NICDC Logistics Data Bank Services Limited (NLDSL).
• It is designed to enhance efficiency and reduce logistics cost in India by creating a transparent platform that can provide real time information to all stakeholders and remove all asymmetry information.
• It is in line with the overall objective of PM GatiShakti which aims at breaking of individual silos, promote integration among various Ministries/Departments and promote real single window.
• The hackathon aims to promote the Startup community, individuals or anyone with the strategic skills and domain knowledge of the sector.
• The hackathon is open for all and is divided into two stages – ideation stage & prototype stage.

About Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP):

• It isan integrated multi-modal platform for digitising supply chain issues to address the logistics sector.
• ULIP was conceptualised as one of the technology platforms in the logistics sector by Niti Aayog.
• It is being developed as technology platform in the logistics sector which will provide real time information to all stakeholders and will converge visibility of multi-modal transport across the existing systems of various Ministries/Departments working in silos.
• It aims to bring down the logistics cost and enhancing India’s competitiveness in the global trade.

Significance:

• The cost of logistics in the India is about 14% which is higher than other countries in the world.
• ULIP’s objective is to work with top Indian technology organizations from the private sector and identify solutions to reduce logistics cost.