New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS): There have been rapid changes in the standard of drugs all over the world, and it is necessary to keep pace with the changes through regulatory requirements, union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said Monday.

Azad was speaking at a function to release the seventh edition of Indian Pharmacopoeia 2014 - A book of Drug Standards, at Nirman Bhawan here.

The minister said: "There have been rapid changes in the standard of drugs all over the world, and to keep pace with the regulatory requirements, it was felt necessary by all the stakeholders to bring out the new edition of Indian Pharmacopoeia 2014 at the earliest."

He noted that Indian Pharmacopoeia 2014 has been considerably revised and improved by introducing advanced technology and experimental methods widely adopted in India and abroad.

Azad hoped that Indian Pharmacopoeia 2014 will be able to fulfil the mission of the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission to promote public health, both in India and other countries, using drugs manufactured in India.

The seventh edition of the Indian Pharmacopoeia has been published by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) in fulfilment of the requirements of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, an official release said here.

It prescribes the standards for drugs produced and marketed in India and thus contributes in the control and assurance of the quality of the medicines.