UT Drug Licensing Authority officers under CBI scanner
ByDebjani Dutta - PUDUCHERRY
24th March 2013 07:56 AM
With the recent CBI raids on the premises of the Drug Licensing Authority here, doubts have been raised over the seriousness of the authorities to check the production of sub-standard medicines. The raids came in the wake of several complaints made over the gross irregularities in issuing licenses.
The CBI sleuths raided the office of Puducherry Drug Licensing Authority (DLA) in Murungapakkam on Monday after several complaints of corrupt practices by the authority in issuing licenses to drug manufacturers and chemist shops were received, sources said.
Sleuths had been interrogating the DLA officers since then. CBI had called Karaikal drug inspector Ananthakrishnan to his office in Chennai. However, Rajkumar, the Drug Licensing Authority, had not appeared before the CBI despite being summoned. Sources said that he had applied for leave on medical grounds. So far, no criminal case had been registered.
The history of drug companies producing sub-standard products was an old one in Puducherry. In 2010, CBI had found four companies manufacturing sub-standard drugs and supplying them to hospitals.
Moreover, during tests conducted in other states, the authorities detected at least 23 cases where drugs manufactured in Puducherry did not conform to prescribed norms.
According to sources, defects in solubility, disintegration of tablets, use of chemicals, contents, use of non-permitted impurities and colouring were detected.
Some manufacturers were suspended for some time, but after suspension period got over, they resumed production. The number of companies on which action was taken could merely be the tip of the iceberg, especially because Puducherry has around 70 manufacturing units.
The UT does not have a drug controller as per the requirements of the Drug and Cosmetics Act. A new department of drug control was created in 2010 by separating it from the department of health and family welfare, but it lacks in staff to work efficiently.
Puducherry has only four drug inspectors to take care of all the four regions of the UT, including outlying areas of Mahe, Karaikal and Yanam, far short of the 19 drug inspectors required as per the Drug and Cosmetic Act.