Inter-state cooperation must to curb substandard drug movement

New Delhi, Dec 18 (UNI) Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss today called for inter-state cooperation to prevent and curb the movement of substandard and counterfeit drugs and said the law is being amended to check advertisements with tall claims about drugs and medicines.

Inaugurating the 37th Drugs Consultative Committee Meeting here, Dr Ramadoss said states must also create a good system of intelligence-cum-legal wing for this purpose. Effort should be made to generate information and prepare dossiers on culprits and share the information with all the stakeholders to facilitate curbing the menace.

Pointing out that drugs and pharmaceuticals are important components of the National Health Programme, he said their quality and availability will have an impact on public health. Stating that the Government is aware of the significant role drugs and pharmaceuticals play in the health care system, he said a lot of initiatives have been taken to upgrade the regulatory system with that of global deal.

The Government is trying to have proper coordination with US FDA.

However, one of the major concerns of the Government was lack of system and uniformity within states, he said and added that a time has come that the regulators of state Governments join together and harmonise a procedure within the country, which is essential before an effort is made for global harmonisation.

As a part of global harmonization exercise, the Government is taking initiatives to have working relations at regional level with International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) on drug legislation for human use. The Government is looking for opportunities for bilateral agreements for mutual recognition.

He expressed concern over advertisements with tall claims by some unscrupulous manufacturers about products without adequate evidence of its use, he said. The [DMR(OA)] Act responsible for controlling such advertisements was very old. Some of the current activities carried out are advertisements through electronic media with tall claims and advertisements by unscrupulous persons about the cure for critical illness like diabetes, asthma, so the act is being amended to cover up all these things, he added.

The minister stressed the need for Drugs Controllers to follow precisely and meticulously the gudelince, as they will protect quality of drugs distributed. The Drugs Consultative Committee has come out with guidance documents for Good Storage Practices and Good Laboratory Practices which need to be implemented.

Recently the Government has declared some drugs as critical medical devices and are trying to control their quality through registration of their import and licensing for local manufacturers.

The states should take initiatives for ensuring the quality of these medical devices as they also play an important and critical role in the safety of patients.

UNI AJ PA VV1548