NVBDCP inks pact to monitor drugs used to treat Kala Azar

The Directorate of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) has signed a pact with Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission, an autonomous body that sets drugs standards in the country, to monitor the safety of medicines used to treat diseases like the Kala Azar.
The MoU was signed between Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), National Coordination Centre Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (NCC-PvPI) and Directorate of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), under the Health Ministry.
Initially, the pact aims to monitor the safety of drugs used in Kala Azar treatment and subsequently it will be extended to other communicable Vector-borne diseases (VBDs).

The pact also aims at fostering active cooperation and exchange of information between these bodies for drug safety and is a step towards focused Pharmacovigilance - the practice of monitoring the effects of medical drugs after they have been licensed for use.
"The World Health Organisation (WHO) country office will serve as the technical partner and would provide the necessary technical support in capacity building of ADR monitoring centres (AMCs) and Kala Azar treatment centres in 54 endemic districts of which 33 are in Bihar, four in Jharkhand, 11 in West Bengal and 6 in Eastern Uttar Pradesh," officials said.

Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI) has an alignment with other Public Health Programmes (PHPs) like Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) and National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) since 2013 and 2014 respectively.