Health officials announced on January 11 that the United States will help form a Food and Drug Administration in India similar to its own, Indian news website The Hindu reports (hindu.com, 1/11).

According to U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services Michael  Leavitt, the partnership with India’s Ministers of Health, Commerce and India would provide a jumping-off point to tackle some of India’s primary health concerns—namely polio, malaria and HIV/AIDS. While the plan is still in the formative stages, the U.S. has agreed to provide technical assistance as the Indian administration develops.

“We have a mutual commitment to ensure that products that are produced for consumers are safe and of high quality,” Leavitt says in the article.

Out of the 57 generic HIV medications approved by the FDA thus far, The Hindu notes, 52 have come from India.