A multi-phased Health Policy initiative was launched at ICRIER to develop actionable policy recommendations for health sector reforms in India. ICRIER has started out with two scoping workshops – on drug regulation and chronic care – to identify problem areas. The workshop on Drug Regulatory Reforms in India was organised on March 31, 2014 in New Delhi with the active participation of leading policy makers, representatives of industry and civil society as well as Indian and international experts, who discussed major issues in this particular area and identified research questions.

A workshop on chronic diseases was held on July 31, 2014 and August 1, 2014 in New Delhi. Based on the discussions at these workshops, the three-year research programme for drug regulatory reforms has been finalised to cover the following themes: (i) Drug quality and safety; (ii) Administrative structure and functions of drug regulatory authorities; (iii) Pricing and competitiveness; (iv) Enforcement issues; (v) Clinical trials and new drug approvals; and (vi) Harmonisation of certification standards. The studies will be based on field research in six countries and four Indian states.