Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited (IDPL) is a large Indian government-owned pharmaceutical manufacturing company,[1] incorporated on 5 April 1961[2] with the aim of achieving India's self-sufficiency in pharmaceuticals manufacturing. IDPL performed a pioneering role in the growth of the Indian drug industry base. It contributed significantly towards this objective in the area of such essential and life-saving drugs as narrow-spectrum antibiotics. IDPL employs scientific and technical personnel and has established the necessary infrastructure and modern technology to enlarge commercial production and promote research, development, and design efforts.[1][2]
With the adoption of good manufacturing practice conforming to World Health Organization recommendations, it has set stringent quality standards to ensure excellent products.[3] IDPL products and services have been recognised by the World Health Organization.[1][2]
Foundation
It was the vision of Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, that the drug industry must be in the public sector: "I think an industry of the nature of the drug industry should not be in the private sector anyhow. There are for too much exploitation of the public in this industry".[1] Thus IDPL was incorporated in April 1961. The main objectives were to make India self-sufficient in respect of essential life-saving medicines, to free the country from dependence on imports, and to provide medicines to the general public at affordable prices. IDPL was conceived and established as a part of the health care infrastructure, and has played a pioneering role in the growth of the Indian drug industry base.[1]
Role during birth control and national disaster
IDPL played a major role in the strategy of several national health programmes, such as the family welfare program and the population control initiative. They provide quality medicines in the fight against malaria (providing Chloroquine) and in the prevention of dehydration (providing oral rehydration solution). During the country’s calamitous outbreak of plague in 1994, IDPL supplied Tetracycline for the entire nation. The company has provided an uninterrupted supply of Chloroquine to combat malaria epidemics in different parts of the country. To combat the national emergency of a leptospirosis epidemic arising due to floods in Maharashtra in 2005, IDPL supplied the required Doxycycline capsules.[1]
Products
Manufacturing plants
IDPL has three manufacturing plants, at Hyderabad, Rishikesh, and Gurgaon. The company has two subsidiaries, IDPL (Tamil Nadu) Ltd in Chennai and Bihar Drugs and Organic Chemicals Ltd in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. Two joint sector companies that work in collaboration with the state governments are Rajasthan Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (RDPL) of Rajasthan and Orissa Drugs and Chemicals Ltd (ODCL) in Orissa.[3]
Hyderabad plant
The IDPL plant at Hyderabad (1967) is spread over 891 acres (3.61 km2) of land. It has the capacity to produce tablets (4000 million per year), capsules (100 million per year), syrups (600,000 litres per year), injections (2 million per year), and powders (600 metric tons per year). The production facilities are fully supported by a quality control department with good laboratory practices. It is equipped with an Effluent Treatment Plant that also treats the effluent of nearby industries.[5][6]
The plant is home to a Research and Development Centre with three main divisions: Chemistry, Biology (including pharmacology and toxicology), and Pilot. Other facilities include an instrumentation section, a glass fabrication workshop, an animal house, a large library, and an auditorium. A number of technologies for production of bulk drugs were developed and successfully implemented at this plant. About 4,500 compounds belonging to various structural types were synthesised and subjected to in-house primary and secondary screenings.[6]
Rishikesh plant
IDPL Rishikesh (1967) is located in Uttaranchal. It is spread on 834 acres (3.38 km2). It has a large antibiotics fermentation facility with required downstream recovery and purification equipment. It has so far produced 18 bulk antibiotics and intermediates. It has a large production capacity for manufacturing of tablets (765 million per year) and capsules (390 million per year).
It has the capacity to manufacture oral contraceptive and emergency pills, and is one of five regular suppliers of these pills to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
A separate block for production of anti-retroviral drugs to combat HIV/AIDS disease will soon be entering production. The Rishikesh plant received the National Award for Prevention of Pollution–1992 from the President of India on 6 August 1994.[7]
Gurgaon plant
IDPL Gurgaon (1979) is located in Haryana (a neighborhood of the Indian capital, New Delhi). It is spread over 90 acres (0.36 km2). It has production capacities for a wide range of formulations, such as tablets (1,296 million per year), liquid orals (396,000 litres per year) and dry syrup (36 lakh bottles per year). It has so far produced 60 formulations in various dosage forms. This plant also has a large capacity to manufacture oral contraceptive pills, and is supported by a Quality Control Department. It has an effluent treatment plant and a Formulations Development Research Laboratory. There is also a township with 128 flats and necessary facilities.[8]
Subsidiary units
IDPL (Tamil Nadu) Ltd, Chennai (1965) is spread over 123 acres (0.50 km2). It was commissioned as an engineering-based company to manufacture surgical instruments. To improve its viability, it diversified to supply detachable scalpel blades in 1975–76, set up a fabrication shop in 1977–78, a formulations division in 1978–79, a hospital equipment division in 1992–93, and AIDS and appliances in 1994–95. In March 1994 the plant was incorporated and converted into a subsidiary unit of IDPL. It is an Implementing Agency under Assistance to Disabled Impaired Persons (ADIP) for southern States by Ministry of Welfare, Government of India, for AIDS and appliances. It has a large production capacity of formulations like tablets (900 million per year) and capsules (200 million per year).[9]
Bihar Drugs & Organic Chemicals Ltd Muzaffarpur, Bihar (1979) is an organic chemical plant. In March 1994 the plant became a subsidiary unit of IDPL. This is the only plant in the country manufacturing Niacinamide starting from alcohol as principal raw material. It has a locational advantage, as several alcohol-producing distilleries and more than 15 sugar mills, which feed molasses to these distilleries, are situated within a radius of 150 kilometres (93 mi). It has a large production capacity to manufacture Acetaldehyde (7,500 metric tons), Acetic acid (4,500 metric tonnes), Methyl-Ethyl Pyridine (1,200 metric tons), Niacin (500 metric tons) and Niacinamide (300 metric tons). The plant is being upgraded to manufacture antibiotic macrolides—Roxithromycin, Azithromycin, and Clarithromycin. The production of these bulk drugs is likely to be started shortly.[10]
Research and development
IDPL Research and Development (R&D) is fully equipped with modern technologies to enable it to help India build self-reliance and meet its health needs. IDPL has two R&D Centres, one at Hyderabad Unit and another at Rishikesh Unit, with large animal houses. These centres endeavour to create substitutes for imports, improve and update technologies, develop new drugs and formulations, and create high-yielding strains for antibiotics. Vitamin B6 was produced in India for the first time because of IDPL’s technology. It has also succeeded in developing and implementing technologies for production of Methyl-DOPA and Chloroquine Phosphate. Three compounds having promising therapeutic value are in advanced stage of biological evaluation. A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic compound has completed Phase-III clinical trials.
IDPL has a Formulations Development Research Laboratory at the Rishikesh plant. A number of the company’s formulations have been developed through in-house research.[11]
