(24th July, 2014); Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) announced in its notification that MS Programmes are not approved by the PCI either for the purpose of registration as a pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act to practice the profession OR any other purpose like teaching in approved pharmacy institutions.
The Pharmacy education and profession in India upto graduate level is regulated by the PCI, a statutory body governed by the provisions of the Pharmacy Act, 1948.
It came in notice of PCI that some pharmacy institutions are offering 2 year full - time MS Programmes in Industrial Pharmacy, Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Analysis & Quality Control to pharmacy graduates. In this connection, it is clarified that only D.Pharm, B.Pharm and Pharm.D acquired from an institution approved by PCI, u/s 12 of the Pharmacy Act, are approved for the purpose of registration as a pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act.
PCI added exception for academic programmes offered by NIPER under the NIPER Act, 1998 where admission qualification / eligibility criteria to such academic programmes is Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) from an institution approved by PCI u/s 12 of the Pharmacy Act, 1948.
