The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dr. Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University (DSMNRU), Lucknow.

The fresh MoU renews existing agreement with the CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP) to strengthen scientific research, healthcare quality and institutional collaboration.

The agreements were signed as part of IPC's efforts to support the vision of Viksit Uttar Pradesh–Viksit Bharat, with a focus on advancing quality standards, innovation and capacity building in healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

The signing ceremony was attended by Prof. Sanjay Singh, Vice-Chancellor, DSMNRU, Dr. V. Kalaiselvan, Secretary-cum-Scientific Director, IPC, and senior officials from CSIR-CIMAP.

Under the renewed agreement, IPC and CSIR-CIMAP will continue collaborating on research related to medicinal plants, standardisation and quality evaluation of herbal medicines, supporting the development of evidence-based quality standards for traditional healthcare products.

The newly signed MoU with DSMNRU will focus on developing scientific protocols for evaluating the quality, safety and performance of assistive devices used by persons with disabilities. The collaboration will also work towards developing a pharmacovigilance training module in sign language, aimed at improving awareness of medicine safety and encouraging adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting among people with disabilities.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. V. Kalaiselvan said, "These collaborations will strengthen scientific research, quality standards and institutional partnerships, supporting Uttar Pradesh's emergence as a centre of excellence in healthcare and pharmaceutical quality.”

“Such initiatives contribute directly to the shared vision of Viksit UP–Viksit Bharat by improving access to safe, effective and quality healthcare products," he said.