Avinash Azad
ET Report
Jammu, Mar 9: State Drug and Food Control Organization has fallen pathetically short in curbing the penetration of sub-standard drugs in state, as the unholy nexus between some medicos and Pharma companies is threatening the lives of people, especially in the peripheral areas of the state.
Experts told Early Times it was mandatory for the pharma companies to get their products certified for quality before introducing it in market, but the rules are being flouted by the companies.
"Blame it on the criminal nexus, several pharma companies have introduced their drugs in rural as well as urban areas of the state without getting the mandatory checks and certification" said a drug store owner in Jammu.
Eventhough the State Drug and Food Control Organization has been collecting samples and even confiscating various medicines on suspicion for checking their quality, but the process has its own pitfalls.. "Testing of the confiscated samples is a time consuming process and till such time the quality of the sample is certified, it remains available for sale in the stores ", sources informed.
They further said that Ceftriaxone and Sulbactum, a composition of an antibiotic injection, which is used to prevent infections, could be seen at every drug store with different brands names. The drug was unabatedly prescribed by doctors, as being costly, there is huge cut for the doctor prescribing it.
"Recently, a sample of same injection manufactured by M/S Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Limited was declared substandard by Drug and Food Control Organization", they said, adding that it was not a single case, but there were number of similar medicines available in market.
They further said that unethical nexus between doctors and the pharma companies which offered huge cuts and commissions to doctors was responsible for availability of sub standard drugs in the stores.
"Health sector in state is heading towards a disaster, as easily treatable infectious diseases are turning lethal due to sub-standard and fake drugs. There is no prevention on fake and sub-standard drugs. In fact the trade has increased manifold due to official patronage," said a doctor working at Super Speciality Hospital Jammu. He claimed that people are dying in large numbers due to these fake drugs.
"In rural areas over 90 percent medicines prescribed to a patient are sub-standard. There is a nexus in the government and private sector that is safeguarding the multi-crore rupees industry is", the doctor alleged and added a person get two similar drugs, one costs Rs 350 and another Rs 40. Even as they expect Rs 350 drug to work perfectly, but that doesn't happen", he added.
Controller, Drug and Food Control Organization, Nazir Ahmad Wani said that the organization time to time collects samples of medicine. "If a sample fails in quality we immediately seize that drug", Wani said adding that one could file complaint with them if some wrong going anywhere. |
