The annual observance of the 63rd National Pharmacy Week in Tamil Nadu will see a joint coordination effort by the state’s branch of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (TN IPA) and the esteemed Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University.
This year, the grand celebration will be hosted on November 29 at the university’s Silver Jubilee Auditorium in Guindy.
Program coordinator J Jayaseelan revealed that the theme is ‘Think Health, and Think Pharmacy’. The event aims to honor pharmacists’ contributions and spread awareness about safe medication use to prevent harmful drug interactions and side effects.
The Chief Guest for the event is Dr. Montu Kumar Patel, President of the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI). Additionally, the Vice-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, Dr. K Narayanaswamy, and the Chairman of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India, Dr. SV Veeramani, will grace the occasion as Guests of Honour.
Scheduled to kick off at 10 am, the celebration is backed by the Tamil Nadu Pharmaceutical Sciences Welfare Trust (TNPSWT) along with the Tamil Nadu IPA Trust. Support also comes from the Tamil Nadu State Pharmacy Council (TNSPC), Indian Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (IACP), Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA), and Tamil Nadu Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (TNPMA).
The President of TN IPA, Dr. S Manivannan, will preside over the inaugural event, with Vice President J Jayaseelan extending a warm welcome to attendees.
The program will witness the distribution of awards and scholarships initiated by TNPSWT. MM Yusuf, a Vice-President of TN IPA, will announce the 2024’s ‘Best Pharmacist Award’ recipient. Association Secretary Dr. T Sathish will convey closing gratitude.
Following the opening events, three technical sessions will proceed from 12 noon. The first, titled ‘Artificial Intelligence Transforming Pharmaceutical Industry’, will be presented by Dr. Duraiswamy Rajan Palani, founder and CEO of ‘Archimedes Digital’.
The second session will explore ‘Opportunities and Challenges of Medical Devices’, with discourse led by Dr. Aseem Sahu, Deputy Drug Controller of the CDSCO, New Delhi.
The subject of the third address will be ‘Current Technological Development of Ayush Drugs’, delivered by Dr. Ilavarasan, former Assistant Director of the ‘Captain Srinivasa Murthy Central Ayurveda Research Institute’ in Chennai.
Concurrent events are planned by the Tamil Nadu branch of the Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association (TN IPGA), scheduled for November 23 at Sri Ramachandra University’s pharmacy block. Activities will include blood donation camps and award presentations.