New Delhi: With an aim to strengthen drug safety and improve monitoring of adverse drug reactions, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) on Tuesday signed an agreement with the pharmacy councils of Bihar, Maharashtra and Mizoram to expand pharmacovigilance and promote rational use of medicines.The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed at the IPC headquarters in Ghaziabad, aims to improve the adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting system, expand ADR monitoring centers and increase awareness among pharmacists and health care professionals on safe and evidence-based use of medicines.Officials said the collaboration will strengthen the Pharmacovigilance Program of India (PVPI), under which health care professionals and patients report side effects and safety concerns related to medicines. The initiative also aims to improve drug safety monitoring and encourage reporting of adverse drug reactions in hospitals and pharmacies in participating states.Under the agreement, State Pharmacy Councils and IPC will work to promote the widespread use of the National Formulary of India (NFI), a reference document designed to guide safe, effective and rational prescribing and dispensing practices. Officials said efforts will also be made to establish the formulary as a standard reference in hospital pharmacies.The partnership will additionally focus on training programmes, workshops and continuing education for pharmacists on rational drug use, pharmacovigilance and patient safety.IPC Secretary-cum-Scientific Director Dr. V. Kalaiselvan signed the MoU with representatives of Bihar, Maharashtra and Mizoram State Pharmacy Councils in the presence of senior health and regulatory experts.Officials said the collaboration aims to strengthen patient safety systems and improve early detection of drug-related risks through broader involvement of pharmacists and health care institutions in drug safety monitoring.