**9. Academia and professional associations**

Primary role of the academia and professional associations is to generate evidence through systematic and scientific research that could eventually take shape in the form of a policy document which in turn could be implemented on ground and brought into actual practice. At a later stage they could also research into the effectiveness and outcome of various policy measures and generate evidence for the improvement and modification of policy provisions in the best interest of patients. Thus, continuous monitoring and evaluation of accepted policies could be efficiently achieved leading to constant refining and improvement of the policies at the end of each cycle.

Academia could also conduct research into the actual needs, demands and aspirations of the patients that in turn would translate into policy framework and thus generate need-based policies. Such a bottom-up approach in policy-making could maximize the outcome and minimize the failure rate of government policies and enhance their acceptability among common masses. Academia serves as an important human resource for the governments and drug regulators to bank upon for the expert advice and guidance not only during policy formulation but during policy implementation and evaluation as well. Their constant involvement could lay a roadmap for effective enforcement of policy provisions and help in raising sufficient resources for health, removing financial risks and barriers to access and promoting efficiency and eliminating waste thus clearing the pathway towards Universal Health Coverage.

Professional Societies, Bodies and Associations of experts in the medical field evolve guidelines for the management of various diseases and disorders making use of best practices around the world and making suggestions for the first, second and third choice of pharmacotherapies for the benefit of the patients. These guidance documents could serve as an important resource in arriving at Standard Treatment Guidelines for various diseases and thereby help in devising essential medicines lists and guide Drugs and Therapeutics Committees in their decision-making vis-à-vis selection, quantification and procurement of drugs in hospitals. Therefore, the expert opinion of academia and professional associations could lend a sound scientific foundation to any policy formulation process which makes them important stakeholders in the pharmaceutical policy development.
