Draft National Pharmacy Commission Bill, 2026: Overhauling India's Pharmaceutical Education and Regulation

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released the revised draft of the National Pharmacy Commission (NPC) Bill, 2026, seeking feedback from stakeholders and the general public. The proposed legislation aims to repeal the nearly eight-decade-old Pharmacy Act of 1948, replacing the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) with a modern, multi-tiered regulatory body—the National Pharmacy Commission. The draft bill proposes a structural overhaul by establishing three distinct autonomous boards under the NPC: the Pharmacy Education Board, the Pharmacy Assessment and Rating Board, and the Pharmacy Ethics and Registration Board. This structure closely mirrors recent regulatory reforms in medical education (the National Medical Commission) and allied healthcare. Key objectives of the bill include standardizing pharmacy education, enforcing strict professional ethics, maintaining a centralized national register of pharmacists, and introducing transparent, outcome-based assessment mechanisms for pharmacy institutions.