Office Bearers
Prof. Dr. Padma Devarajan
President SPDS
Prof of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharm. Sciences & Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai
Dean Research and Innovation, Professor in Pharmacy and former Head, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology at the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India. She is also a member of the Board of Governors and Head of the Incubator at the Institute of Chemical Technology.
She has many granted patents, has licensed technologies to industry and products commercialized in India and Europe. She is author of two books on Targetted Drug Delivery, published by Springer. She was actively associated with Controlled Release Society Inc., USA as Board Member, Member on the Board of Scientific Advisors, Chair of the Young Scientist Mentor Protégé Committee and Chair of the Outstanding Paper Award Committee of the Journal Drug Development and Translational Research. She is a Member on the Editorial board of the Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the European Journal of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics.
Prof. Devarajan is a nominated Fellow of the Maharashtra Academy of Sciences, and Life Fellow of the Indian Chemical Society. She is a recipient of several awards and recognitions for Research and Innovation, including the American Association of Indian Pharmaceutical Scientists Distinguished Educator and Researcher Award, the VASVIK award for Industrial Research, the APTI Award for Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, OPPI Scientist Award the Bengaluru Nano Innovation Award and the Outstanding Woman Scientist Award of ICAR, Government of India.
Email: pv.devarajan@ictmumbai.edu.in
Dr Rajiv Desai
Vice President SPDS
Senior Technical Advisor, Quality and Regulatory, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance
- Around 38 years of experience in the Pharmaceutical Industry.
- Superannuated in June 2022 from Lupin as Executive Vice President – Global Quality, responsibilities were for Quality Management of API, Formulations, Biotech manufacturing facilities and Development Quality Assurance at R&D Centre.
- Lupin Ltd is the 9th largest Generic Pharmaceutical company in the world with manufacturing facilities located in India, USA, Brazil and Mexico, including Research centers in India, US and Europe.
- In previous assignments, worked as head of Corporate Quality Management at Dr Reddy’s, Mylan, Piramal and Alembic Pharmaceuticals. Started career with Ciba Geigy (now Novartis) in R&D and Technology transfers with assignments in India and Switzerland
- Experience spreads across basic research, Technology transfers, Quality Management and Regulatory affairs.
Current engagements
- Working as an Advisor and freelance Pharmaceutical Consultant
Specialising in- Compliance, QRM, Data Integrity Assessments, Regulatory inspection readiness, Due Diligence for mergers, acquisitions and Investments, Process Development, Process and Analytical method Validations, Facility, Equipment and Laboratory Qualifications, Software Development, Trainings on GMP, manufacturing and Quality.
- Senior Technical Advisor – Quality and Regulatory, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA)
IPA represents top 25 Pharma companies in India. IPA represents these companies at the various forum of the Indian Government Health Ministries, Regulatory agency of India and across the world. IPA is also involved in competency building initiatives, Technology advancements and compliance awareness for the Indian Pharma Industry.
- Member of the US Pharmacopeia Expert committee between 2010 and 2015.
- Expert Member at the Indian Pharmacopoeia.
- On the Board of Governors of NIPER since November 2022
- Invited to deliver lectures at various international and national scientific forums.
- Appointed on several board of studies of reputed universities in India for teaching assignments and syllabus revision programs for post graduate courses.
- At ICT (former UDCT), appointed as visiting faculty, under the Daiichi Karkaria memorial endowment faculty program for the year 2013 – 2014.
Email: drrajivdesai@yahoo.com
Vijay Kshirsagar
Founder President SPDS
Director & CEO, TRAC Pharma Consulting
Vijay is an accomplished Quality, Regulatory & Analytical professional with about 40 years of rich experience of working for highly reputed Indian & Multinational Pharma firms like Unichem, Ranbaxy, Sun Pharma , Lupin, IPCA, German Remedies in Sr positions like EVP, Director & GM- Quality & Regulatory. He has led from front for several successful regulatory inspections including US FDA, MHRA, WHO, EDQM, ANVISA, TGA both for Drug Products & API’s.
Since 2013, he is running his own Pharma Consultancy called TRAC offering specialized services globally, for cGMP Training, Regulatory Filings, Auditing & Compliance. His current clients include reputed pharma companies based in India, China, Bangladesh, Turkey, US, Europe, Malaysia etc.. He is a frequent international trainer on several cGMP related topics.
He is the founder President of ‘Society for Pharmaceutical Dissolution Science’. He is currently working on the board of Directors of ISPE-India. IDMA has conferred upon him an ‘Outstanding Analyst Award 2011’ for his contribution towards pharmaceutical analysis. He has also published articles on cGMP related topics like CAPA, OOS, QbD & cGMP in reputed journals/books. He is M.Sc. by Research in Organoanalytical Chemistry from Mumbai University. He has a good Microbiological background too.
Email: vukshirsagar@gmail.com
Dr. L. Ramaswamy
Secretary General SPDS
Founder and Chairman, Sotax India Pvt Ltd, Mumbai
Dr.L.Ramaswamy, A Graduate in Chemistry with post graduation in Marketing and Human resource Management and a doctorate in Pharmaceutical Business Administration, has been working with Indian Pharmaceutical Industry in various positions for more than four decades. During the tenure he had the opportunity to represent his organization in many platforms and one of which was representing the India Delegation to Canada organized by Government of India during 2007. Currently he works as Founder and Chairman of Sotax India Pvt Ltd, a fully owned Subsidiary of Sotax AG, Switzerland and is on the board of directors at Ortiv-Q3, a joint venture CRO subsidiary of Sotax AG. He is also the Secretary General of SPDS – Society for Pharmaceutical Dissolution Science, Head of pharma vertical, USIIC under economic affairs of US consulate, Mumbai (usiic.in), India Ambassador for AAiPS – American Association of Indian Pharmaceutical Scientists (aaips.org), Founder and National Convenor of AIPAC – All India Pharmaceutical Association Consortium, Governing body member FPQL – Forum of Pharma Quality leaders (fpql.in), Life member IPA – Indian Pharmaceutical Association (ipapharma.org), Associate member of IDMA – Indian Drug Manufacturer’s Association (idma-assn.org) and Member of Indo-Swiss Chamber of Commerce.
Email: drlrama@spds.in | drlrama19@hotmail.com
Mr. Sunil Dubey
Joint Secretary SPDS
CEO, Sotax India Pvt Ltd, Mumbai
Email: Sunil.Dubey@sotax.com
Mr. R. S. Pal
Treasurer SPDS
Vice President – Technical & Support
Sotax India Pvt Ltd., Mumbai
Mr. R. S. Pal has basic qualification and training in Electrical & Electronic Engineering. He has more than 25 years of experience in Pharmaceutical industry. He has been actively involved in various types of equipments used in Pharmaceutical Industry. Presently, he is the Vice President – Technical & Support at SOTAX India Pvt Ltd. He specializes in Dissolution equipments, particularly the Flow Through Cell(USP IV apparatus).
Email: pal.ramsingar@sotax.com
Mr. Tarun Soni
Global Coordinator SPDS
Founder CEO, Soni Digital
With over 25 years of experience in the IT sector, Mr. Tarun Soni is a seasoned professional renowned for his expertise in providing strategic digital solutions and optimizing operations. Throughout his distinguished career, he has collaborated with numerous pharmaceutical companies and associations, playing a pivotal role in the development and management of their digital properties.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Soni demonstrated his innovative prowess by conceptualizing and creating an online platform, drpi.spds.world, for SPDS. This platform facilitated an online research presentation competition, offering early-stage pharmaceutical researchers a vital space to showcase their work.
Email: tarunsoni@spds.in
Dr. (Mrs.) Abha Doshi
Executive Member SPDS
Principal, MET Institute of Pharmacy. Bandra(w)
Dr. Abha Doshi is a distinguished academic and professional in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences, currently serving as the Principal and Professor at the MET Institute of Pharmacy (Degree), Bandra Reclamation, Mumbai. With a career spanning over 28 years, Dr. Doshi has made significant contributions to both the education and pharmaceutical industries.
Educational Background:
- B. Pharm. (1984) and M. Pharm. (1986) from Dr. H. S. Gour University, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh.
- Ph.D. (1997) in Pharmaceutical Technology from C. U. Shah College of Pharmacy, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai.
Professional Experience:
- Dr. Doshi started her career in the pharmaceutical industry by working for Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd., Dewas (M.P.) in Tablet Production for three years.
- She then transitioned to academia, joining MET Institute of Pharmacy (Degree) in 1996 as a lecturer. Over time, she rose to the position of Professor and Principal, where she has been guiding students and leading the institution for over two decades.
Research and Contributions:
- Dr. Doshi has been a prolific researcher, contributing to the field of pharmaceutical sciences, particularly in areas like gastro-retentive drug delivery, nanoparticles, and mucoadhesive drug delivery.
- She has presented 21 research papers at national and international seminars and conferences.
- Her scholarly work includes 23 publications in various national and international journals.
- Dr. Doshi has also made significant strides in intellectual property, holding a patent for buccal patches for aphthous ulcers and having two additional patents pending.
Awards and Recognition:
- In recognition of her exceptional work, Dr. Doshi has received numerous awards, including:
- M. L. Khorana Award (2003) for the best paper published in the Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
- MET Pragyawant and MET Gaurav Awards (2019).
- Iconic Principal Award (2021) by ASIA-GCC.
- Best Service Award (2023) by INSO.
Leadership Roles:
- Dr. Doshi is also deeply involved in professional organizations. She is the founder trustee and executive member of the Society of Pharmaceutical Dissolution Sciences, contributing to the growth and development of the pharmaceutical industry.
Her vast experience and accomplishments make Dr. Abha Doshi a highly respected figure in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry.
Email: abhad_iop@met.edu
Mr. Suhas Yewale
Executive Member SPDS
Associate Director Techno Commercial,
Sotax India Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai
A meticulous and versatile pharma professional, holding rich experience of 28+ years in Analytical Research and Development for Pharma industry. Proficient in analytical R&D and Method Validations for generic formulations of various dosage forms. He has supported analytical method development and validation activities for more than 70 ANDA’s and EU Dossiers.
Suhas is currently serving as an Independent Analytical Research and Development consultant to Pharma Industry and SOTAX India and he is also associated with ImageProVision Technology as an Application Specialist. He is also one of the founders and Trustee Member of “Society for Pharmaceutical Dissolution Science (SPDS)
Email: Suhas.Yewale@sotax.com
Dr. (Mrs.) Mala Menon
Executive Member SPDS
Adjunct Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, Bombay College of Pharmacy, Mumbai
Dr (Mrs) Mala D.Menon is currently Adjunct Professor of Pharmaceutics, Bombay College of Pharmacy (BCP) , Mumbai. She joined BCP way back in 1986 after working with Pharma Industry for 2 years.
Her research areas include Novel Drug Delivery systems, mainly Nasal & Pulmonary systems and Ocular systems; Probiotics, Novel vaccine delivery approaches, Novel Veterinary Drug Delivery Systems, Enzyme delivery systems, Dissolution rate test evaluations.
She had handled many research projects from Government agencies – from AICTE, UGC, BRNS, Mumbai University; and Industry sponsored projects from Yash Pharma, US Vitamins, Mother Dairy, Hansen Probiotics, Glenmark, Famy Health Care, Abbott India, Getz Pharma, Pfizer, Valois Pharma (now APTAR Pharma)-France, Lupin (USA), Saife Vetmed, Gattafosse, Lubrizol and ACG.
She is a recipient of several awards, including – Dr. P. D. Patil Best Pharmaceutical Scientist Award (APTI- Maharashtra State Branch, March 2016); Best Professor of Pharmaceutics (National Education Awards -8th edition, ABP News Channel, July 2017); Promising Innovation in Solid Dosage Form (IPA-ACG Scitech, Dec. 2018); Best Professor in Pharmaceutics (26 th Business School Affaire and Dewang Mehta National Education Award, Nov. 2018); Distinguished Professor Award at the Stakeholder Workshop (SPAICS)- sponsored by National Science & Technology Management Information System (NSTMIS) a Divn of DST, held at Smriti College of Pharmacy at Indore on 28th Sept, 2019; Lifetime Achievement Award (Indian Pharmaceutical Association, Maharashtra State Branch Students’ Forum (IPA-MSB-SF) on 25th Sept, 2021.
Email: maladmbcp@gmail.com
Dr. (Mrs.) Mangal Nagarsenker
Executive Member SPDS
Professor Emeritus and former Head at Bombay College of Pharmacy, Mumbai
Dr. Mangal Nagarsenkar is Professor Emeritus and former Head, Department of Pharmaceutics, Bombay College of Pharmacy, Mumbai, India. She is also associated as Research Adviser at Vivekanand Education Society’s college of pharmacy.
Prof. Nagarsenkar has more than 3 decades of research experience in the field of novel drug delivery systems. She has successfully guided many M.Pharm and Ph.D students. She has authored 118 research articles in national and international journals, 9 review articles, 7 book chapters and 2 books. She is a member of the editorial advisory board of IJPS, editorial advisory board of Drug Delivery Letters, Bentham Publication and has served as a reviewer for various national and international journals. Her research collaborations include University of Jena, Germany, University of Helsinki, Finland, G S medical college, Mumbai, ACTREC, Navi Mumbai, IICT, Hyderabad and CDRI, Lucknow. She has 2 US patents, 5 Indian patents and 3 trademarks to her credit.
She has been a recipient of awards and recognition including Prof. (Mrs.) M. R. Baichwal Visiting fellow in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology in UICT (2005-2006), Amrut Mody Research Fund, Distinguished Researcher National Award (2012), Association of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India (APTI) Dr. (Mrs.) Manjushree Pal Best Researcher National Award (2013), IPA MSB Student forum- Life Time Achievement Award (2021), APTI- MSB and Karyakaushalam, Mumbai -Certificate of honour for excellence in education(2024) .
Prof. Nagarsenker’s research interests include lipid nanocarriers for improved and targeted drug delivery, Solubilisation and dissolution and design of novel ligands for targeted drug delivery.
Email: mangal.nagarsenker@gmail.com
Dr. Krishnapriya Mohanraj
Executive Member SPDS
Principal in Charge, Professor of Pharmaceutical Analysis and Chairperson-Industrial Collaborations and Resource Mobilization at Bombay College of Pharmacy, Mumbai, India
- Prof Krishnapriya Mohanraj is Principal in Charge, Professor of Pharmaceutical Analysis and Chairperson-Industrial Collaborations and Resource Mobilization at Bombay College of Pharmacy (BCP), a premier Pharmacy institute. She is former Coordinator- AICTE Quality Improvement Program and President, Institute Innovation Council at BCP. She is Global Chair- Dissolution Research Presentations International, a competition conducted by SPDS.
- Passionate educator, motivating and training students, analysts, chemists and faculty in the nuances of pharmaceutical analysis and medicinal chemistry; and a researcher developing novel and cost-effective techniques useful for the industry, with more than 30 years’ experience.
- M Pharm and PhD (Tech) from Institute of Chemical Technology (formerly UDCT) Mumbai,
- Experience of more than 30 years handling several academic and administrative positions
- Research funding of more than INR 8 crores from various agencies like Department of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology, AYUSH, All India Council of Technical Education, University Grants Commission, University of Mumbai, Amrut Mody Research Fund and from several industries based in India and abroad including sanction of Rs 5.87 crores for co-establishment of National Facility of Research and Training in Integrated Analytical Strategies for Discovery, Development and Testing of Drugs, Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals at Bombay College of Pharmacy under the Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Research Promotion Scheme of the Department of Science and Technology with high end instruments like LC-MS/MS, ICP-MS and HPTLC-MS.
- One patent and one Technology Transfer, many publications and presentations, 6 of which have won awards.
- Consultancy: worth more than INR 2 crores with organizations like Shogun Organics, Aarti Industries, Sanofi Aventis, Analytical Solutions, Glaxo Smith Kline, Ambernath Organics, Sandu Pharma, Nerlikar Hospital, SG Pharma, Loba Chemie, Nature Pure, Hi Media, ACG Worldwide, Dharmayug Biosciences, Alpha MD, Micro-Tracers Inc (USA), Ajanta Pharma, Macleods Pharma, Glenmark, Anshul Life Sciences, GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Abbott, Nature Pure, Teledyne Hanson (USA), Aristo Pharma and Rubicon Research.
- Expertise in LC-MS-MS, HPLC, chiral HPLC, HPTLC, HPTLC-MS, and ICP-MS analysis, Quantitative LC-MS/MS Analysis of Nitrosamine Drug Related Substance Impurities (NDSRIs), Bioanalytical Method development and validation; Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and pharmacokinetic analysis, Herbal Analysis and Nutraceutical Analysis.
- Member, CII Education Council Task Force for Industry Academia Partnership and Member, CII Education Council Task Force Entrepreneurship & Start-ups Ecosystem (2022-23) and Member of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry – National Education Committee, 2023.
- Recipient of the UKIERI Indo UK Staff Exchange Program 2011-12 Award by the British Council, Fabulous Global Healthcare Leader Award, Most Iconic Healthcare Leaders (Global) Award.
Email: krishnapriyamohanraj@gmail.com
Mr. S. R. Vaidya
Executive Member SPDS
Director, Bliss GVS Pharma Ltd
Mr. Vaidya is science and management graduate from Mumbai University in the early sixties. He is Associated with Indian Pharma Industry from 1965 in various positions.
Past independent Chairman of the board at BLISS GVS which manufactures lozenges, pessaries and suppositories for exclusive exports. Currently on the Board of Directors for GM Polyplast Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai
A chairman for the Small and Medium Entrepreneurs committee of IDMA for the last decade.
He is promoter member of Society of Pharmaceutical Dissolution Sciences – SPDS and handling the public Relations for the society.
With over 55 years in the Pharma Industry, have been helping and guiding various organisations and individuals in this field.
Email : chuppa26@gmail.com
Mr. S. D. Joag
Executive Member SPDS
Mr. S. D. Joag graduated in science from Mumbai University in 1967 and has 57 years of vast experience in Regulatory, Quality Control and Quality Assurance in Pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Joag was National Honorary General Secretary of Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) from 2004 to 2016. He was CEO India counterpart of FIP 2011, which was held in Hyderabad. He was instrumental in the organization of AAPS and EDQM programs in India regularly. He is Fellow of Indian Pharmaceutical Association since 2002. Mr. Joag is also a recipient of prestigious IPA- Ramanbhai Patel Life Time Achievement Award
Mr. Joag was associated with Indian Pharmaceutical Congress Association and organizing Indian Pharmaceutical Congresses in 1998 and 2006 at Mumbai. Currently he is a special invitee of IDMA Executive Committee and an active member of Society of Pharmaceutical Dissolution Science (SPDS) handling Public Relations.
Mr. Joag has participated in various technical seminars as speaker and made presentations on various aspects of quality control and quality assurance in continued education programs. He was instrumental in setting microbiology laboratories at Bombay college of Pharmacy and a Bulk Drug manufacturing company, ASolution Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Joag currently works with ACG Worldwide for their Student – Academia programs.
At the age of 78 he believes in learning and sharing knowledge of science.
Email: sdjoag@gmail.com