7th National Formulary of India (NFI 2026)

Why in News?

Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare recently launched the 7^th Edition of the National Formulary of India (NFI 2026) at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

Key Features of NFI 2026

• Published periodically by - The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) (an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, headquartered in Ghaziabad).
• First published in - 1960.
• Core Mandate- Acts as an authoritative, evidence-based guidance manual for doctors, prescribers, pharmacists, and healthcare students to promote the rational and safe use of medicines.
• Composition
  • Features 34 chapters, 20 appendices, and 653 drug monographs (including 42 Fixed-Dose Combinations [FDCs] and 30 immunological products).
  • Monographs have been updated to align strictly with the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) and active National Health Programmes.
• Digital Ecosystem - Launched digitally alongside the ADR-PvPI 2.0 Mobile App (for iOS/Android).
• Thus, integrates direct links to the PM Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), national immunization schedules, and guidelines for the safe disposal of expired/unused pharmaceuticals.

Biovigilance Programme of India (BvPI)

• Focus Area - Establishes a formal national framework under the IPC to report, assess, monitor, and prevent adverse events associated with biological products, blood products, and medicines used in organ and tissue transplantation (for both donors and recipients).
• Completing the Patient Safety Triad- The addition of BvPI expands India's holistic safety monitoring system into three dedicated arms
  • Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI): Monitors Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs).
  • Materiovigilance Programme of India (MvPI): Monitors adverse events related to medical devices.
  • Biovigilance Programme of India (BvPI): Monitors adverse outcomes in tissue/organ transplants and biological therapy.
• Additional Releases - Unveiled the Guidance Document for Hospitals in India for Safety Monitoring and Reporting of Medical Device-Related Adverse Events.

Significance for Healthcare & Governance

• Discourages irrational drug combinations and over-prescription of antibiotics, curbing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and reducing out-of-pocket health expenditure.
• Global Standing- India has risen from 123^rd place (2009–2014) to become the 8^th largest contributor globally to the WHO global ICSR database (VigiBase) for adverse drug event reporting.
• International Regulatory Convergence - Complements India's 2023 entry into the Pharmacopoeial Discussion Group (PDG) and global acceptance of the Indian Pharmacopoeia across nearly 25 nations.

Reference

PIB | 7th National Formulary of India 2026