Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers Anupriya Patel on Monday launched the 7th Edition of the National Formulary of India (NFI), along with new initiatives aimed at strengthening medicine safety, pharmacovigilance and patient safety in the country.
The minister launched the NFI 2026, the Guidance Document for Hospitals in India for Safety Monitoring and Reporting of Medical Device-Related Adverse Events, and the ADR-PvPI 2.0 Mobile App for iOS users at the 6th National Pharmacovigilance Week programme organised by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) at Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi.
The latest edition of the NFI has also been made available digitally through NFI Online.
The event was held as part of the 6th National Pharmacovigilance Week, being observed from September 17 to 23, 2026, with the theme, “Promoting Rational Use of Medicines through Pharmacovigilance: A Step Towards Safer Healthcare.”
The programme brought together government officials, regulators, healthcare professionals, academicians, researchers and other stakeholders involved in medicine safety and patient care.
Government approves Biovigilance Programme of India
A major announcement at the event was the Government of India’s approval of the Biovigilance Programme of India, aimed at expanding the country’s patient-safety framework.
Under the programme, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission will play a lead role in strengthening the reporting, assessment, monitoring and prevention of adverse events associated with medicines and biological products used in organ and tissue transplantation, including products administered to donors and recipients.
The new programme will complement existing pharmacovigilance and materiovigilance mechanisms, creating a broader safety-monitoring framework covering medicines, medical devices and transplant-related procedures.
India rises to eighth globally in WHO patient safety database contributions
Addressing the gathering, Patel said rational use of medicines and continuous safety monitoring are integral to public health. She stressed that every patient should receive the right medicine, of assured quality, in the right manner and with the highest possible degree of safety.
Highlighting India’s progress in pharmacovigilance, the minister said the country has developed an indigenous ecosystem for generating, collecting, processing and analysing medicine-safety data.
She said India’s position in contributions to the WHO patient safety database has improved from 123rd during 2009–2014 to eighth globally.
Patel said the shift from primarily relying on safety information generated elsewhere to producing and contributing India’s own pharmacovigilance evidence reflects the strengthening of the country’s capacity in medicine safety.
She also highlighted the role of the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI), coordinated by the National Coordination Centre at IPC, in systematically collecting, assessing and analysing adverse drug reaction information.
The Materiovigilance Programme of India (MvPI), she said, has also contributed to monitoring adverse events associated with medical devices.
NFI 2026 aims to promote rational prescribing
Patel described the National Formulary of India as an important link between scientific standards and clinical practice, helping healthcare professionals make informed decisions on the appropriate and rational use of medicines.
The 7th edition is intended to support evidence-based prescribing and medicine use.
The minister said medicine safety is a continuous responsibility extending from the development and manufacture of a medicine or medical device through prescription, dispensing and use to post-market monitoring.
She also noted India’s growing international role in pharmaceutical standards. Around 25 countries recognise and accept the Indian Pharmacopoeia, while the IPC became a member of the Pharmacopoeial Discussion Group in 2023, strengthening India’s participation in global regulatory convergence and harmonisation.
NFI 2026 contains 653 drugs across 34 chapters
The National Formulary of India has been published periodically by the IPC since 2009 as a guidance document for healthcare professionals to promote the rational and safe use of medicines.
The NFI 2026 contains 34 chapters, 20 appendices and 653 drugs, including 42 fixed-dose combinations and 30 immunologicals.
Drug monographs have been revised to align with the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) and National Health Programmes.
In addition to the print edition, the formulary is available digitally. It provides access to links relating to National Health Programmes, immunisation schedules, Jan Aushadhi, safe disposal of unused or expired pharmaceutical products and other authoritative regulatory resources.
Digital tools and AI to strengthen medicine safety
The minister highlighted the growing role of digital platforms in improving medicine-safety monitoring and adverse-event reporting.
Platforms and tools including NFI Online, IP Online, ADR-PvPI 2.0 Mobile App and the Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring System (ADRMS) are intended to make medicine-related information and adverse-event reporting more accessible, transparent and responsive.
Patel called for greater use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics, to strengthen medicine-safety systems and facilitate timely generation and use of safety evidence.
She also stressed the importance of greater participation by patients in reporting adverse events.
The minister said digital platforms, mobile applications and helplines have made reporting easier, but patient participation remains an important area requiring further attention.
ADR reporting network to expand to primary healthcare
Around 1,150 Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) Reporting Centres are currently operational across public and private hospitals and medical colleges in the country, along with medical-device vigilance facilities.
The Government plans to expand these capabilities further to the primary healthcare level, widening the reach of India’s medicine-safety monitoring network.
Patel urged stakeholders to make greater use of the available reporting mechanisms, emphasising the role of every reported adverse event in improving patient safety.
“Medicine safety must become everyone’s responsibility. Every single reported event can save a life,” she said.
Whole-of-healthcare approach for patient safety
Referring to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, Patel said patient safety must remain a key national priority.
She called for India to build on its position as the “pharmacy of the world” and aspire to become a global leader in pharmacovigilance sciences and patient safety.
The minister emphasised the need for continued collaboration among government institutions, regulatory authorities, healthcare professionals, academic and research institutions, the pharmaceutical industry and patients.
She said a whole-of-healthcare-ecosystem approach would be essential for developing a strong culture of medicine safety and promoting the rational use of medicines.
IPC highlights expansion of digitally enabled pharmacovigilance
Dr V. Kalaiselvan, Secretary-cum-Scientific Director, Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission, highlighted the role of the National Formulary of India in promoting rational medicine use and safer prescribing practices.
He outlined IPC’s efforts to expand adoption of the NFI nationwide and strengthen digitally enabled pharmacovigilance covering medicines, medical devices, blood and blood products and other medical products.
Dr Yvan J.-F. Hutin, WHO Representative to India, stressed the importance of sustained collaboration between national and international stakeholders to strengthen medicine-safety and pharmacovigilance systems.
Prof. Y. K. Gupta, President, AIIMS Kalyani; Dr V. M. Katoch, former Director General, ICMR and Secretary, DHR; senior officers from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission, and other stakeholders also attended the programme.
