IPC Hosts National Meet on New Blood Quality Standards

Addressing the inaugural session virtually, Harsh Mangla, Joint Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare, praised IPC for introducing pharmacopoeial standards for blood and blood components in IP 2026.

The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) hosted a national conference in Ghaziabad on June 24 to promote awareness and implementation of newly introduced standards for blood and blood components in the Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) 2026. More than 160 participants attended the event, including blood bank professionals, quality assurance experts, haemovigilance specialists, State Licensing Authorities and government health officials from several northern and central Indian states. The conference was organised to help stakeholders understand and adopt the new monographs introduced in IP 2026, which are expected to strengthen quality control and safety standards in blood transfusion services across the country.

New standards aim to improve safety and regulatory compliance

Addressing the inaugural session virtually, Harsh Mangla, Joint Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare, praised IPC for introducing pharmacopoeial standards for blood and blood components in IP 2026. He noted that these standards are unique and not currently available in any other pharmacopoeia worldwide. He called on healthcare institutions, regulators and blood centres to work together to ensure the availability of safe and high-quality blood products for patients. The initiative, he said, would play an important role in strengthening healthcare services and improving patient welfare.

Dr. V. Kalaiselvan, Secretary-cum-Scientific Director of IPC, highlighted the significance of the new standards in enhancing quality assurance systems and regulatory compliance. He said the provisions included in IP 2026 are aligned with evolving scientific knowledge and current national and international regulatory expectations.

Experts discuss future roadmap for blood services

The conference featured a series of technical sessions covering blood and blood component standards, regulatory requirements, plasma quality, rational use of blood products, the National Formulary of India and the Haemovigilance Programme of India.

Experts from IPC, state regulatory bodies, haemovigilance programmes and transfusion medicine institutions participated in panel discussions focused on practical implementation strategies and emerging regulatory developments.

The event also served as a platform for knowledge sharing and capacity building among blood centre professionals. Participants discussed challenges, best practices and measures needed to ensure smooth adoption of the new standards at healthcare facilities across the country.

The conference concluded with stakeholders reaffirming their commitment to implementing IP 2026 standards and strengthening the quality, safety and effectiveness of blood and blood components. The initiative is expected to support more consistent practices across blood centres while enhancing patient safety and confidence in transfusion services nationwide.