Chennai: Tamil Nadu is poised to become the second state in India, following Uttar Pradesh, to make it compulsory for newly registered pharmacists to subscribe to the National Formulary of India (NFI). The National Formulary of India is essentially meant for the guidance of the members of the medical and pharmaceutical profession; medical students, nurses and pharmacists etc. working in hospitals, dispensaries and sales establishments. In the preparation of this Formulary, the expert opinion of medical practitioners, teachers in medicine, nurses, pharmacists, etc. has been obtained. The selection of drugs for inclusion in the National Formulary has been made taking into consideration the relative advantages and disadvantages of the various drugs used in current medical practice and their availability in the country. Thus, the National Formulary of India represents a broad consensus of expert opinion in respect of drugs and their formulations and provides the physicians with carefully selected therapeutic agents of proved effectiveness, which form the basis of rational drug therapy. The National Formulary of India is an authoritative guide to prescribing, dispensing and administering medicines for healthcare professionals. It will be useful for framing national drug policies in the country. According to the recent news reported by DTNEXT, the initiative will be formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) and the Tamil Nadu State Pharmacy Council (TN SPC), scheduled to be signed in Chennai on Saturday, November 8. This landmark collaboration is designed to reinforce pharmaceutical standards, promote rational drug use, and improve patient safety throughout Tamil Nadu’s healthcare network. Under the new rule, all pharmacists registering with the TN SPC will need to subscribe to the NFI, ensuring they have regular access to updated, reliable drug information. The move is expected to benefit over 60,000 pharmacists in the state, empowering them to contribute more effectively to safe and informed patient care. The MoU signing event, jointly organized by the TN SPC and the Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association (IDMA-TN chapter), will take place at Hotel Hablis, Guindy, and will be attended by key regulatory and industry representatives,DTNEXTreported.