India Launches NFI 2026, Approves Biovigilance Programme to Strengthen Medicine Safety

The 7th Edition of the NFI has also been made available digitally through NFI Online.

The 6th National Pharmacovigilance Week, being observed from September 17 to 23, 2026, carries the theme, “Promoting Rational Use of Medicines through Pharmacovigilance: A Step Towards Safer Healthcare.” The programme brought together senior government officials, regulators, healthcare professionals, academicians, researchers and other stakeholders working to strengthen medicine safety and patient care.

Speaking on the occasion, Patel underscored that rational use of medicines and continuous safety monitoring are integral to public health. She said every patient must receive the right medicine, of assured quality, in the right manner and with the highest possible degree of safety.

Highlighting the country’s progress in pharmacovigilance, the Minister said India has built an indigenous ecosystem capable of generating, collecting, processing and analysing medicine-safety data from across the country. She described this capacity as an important dimension of Atmanirbhar Bharat in healthcare, enabling India to generate its own scientific evidence to support the safe and effective use of medicines.

Pointing to India’s growing global contribution, Patel said the country has moved from the 123rd position during 2009–2014 to 8th globally in contributions to the WHO patient safety database. She said India’s transition from relying primarily on safety information generated elsewhere to producing and contributing its own pharmacovigilance evidence reflects a strengthening of national capacity.

The Minister 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. She also acknowledged the contribution of the Materiovigilance Programme of India (MvPI) in monitoring adverse events associated with medical devices.

Government approves Biovigilance Programme of India

In a significant expansion of India’s patient-safety framework, Patel announced that the Biovigilance Programme of India has been approved by the Government of India.

Under the programme, IPC 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.

Together, the pharmacovigilance, materiovigilance and biovigilance initiatives will strengthen safety monitoring across medicines, medical devices and transplant procedures.

NFI 2026 to support evidence-based prescribing

Speaking about the National Formulary of India, Patel said the NFI serves as an important bridge between scientific standards and clinical practice, guiding healthcare professionals in the appropriate and rational use of medicines.

She said the launch of its 7th Edition marks another step towards enabling healthcare professionals to make informed, evidence-based decisions while prescribing and using medicines.

The Minister emphasised that medicine safety is a continuous responsibility—from the development and manufacture of a drug or medical device to its prescription, dispensing, use and post-market monitoring.

She also highlighted India’s growing international recognition in this field, noting that around 25 countries recognise and accept the Indian Pharmacopoeia, while IPC became a member of the Pharmacopoeial Discussion Group in 2023, strengthening India’s role in global regulatory convergence and harmonisation.

Digital platforms, AI and data analytics to strengthen medicine safety

Highlighting the role of technology, Patel said digital initiatives including NFI Online, IP Online, ADR-PvPI 2.0 Mobile App and the Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring System (ADRMS) are making medicine-related information and adverse-event reporting more accessible, transparent and responsive.

“Medicine safety must become everyone’s responsibility. Every single reported event can save a life.”

She said collective participation would be critical to building a strong culture of medicine safety and promoting the rational use of medicines.

Dr V. Kalaiselvan, Secretary-cum-Scientific Director, Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission, highlighted the role of the National Formulary of India in promoting rational use of medicines and safer prescribing practices. He also outlined IPC’s efforts to expand NFI adoption 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, underscored the importance of sustained collaboration among national and international stakeholders for strengthening 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 & Family Welfare and the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission; and other stakeholders were also present.

The National Formulary of India, published periodically by IPC since 2009, is a guidance document for healthcare professionals aimed at promoting the rational and safe use of medicines.

The NFI 2026 comprises 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 NFI is available digitally and provides access to important links relating to National Health Programmes, immunisation schedules, Jan Aushadhi, safe disposal of unused or expired pharmaceutical products and other authoritative regulatory resources.