9 Aug : The Centre has decided to introduce a slew of measures, including roping in private detective agencies and setting up a separate intelligence network to check the growing menace of spurious and adulterated drugs in the country.
Union Health Ministry sources said that steps are also being taken to set up drug testing centres at various ports besides offering rebates in ceiling price to drug manufacturers adopting latest packing technology to counter the menace.
A separate intelligence-cum-legal cell in the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) is being set up and if necessary private detective agencies will also be roped in to unearth these nefarious activities.
The Ministry is also exploring the feasibility of having a reward system for informers on the line of Central Board for Excise and Customs.
The Ministry would also engage experienced counsels of the rank
of Additional Solicitor General for supervising the cases of spurious drugs to be fought by senior counsels to stamp down on the Rs 17,500crore approximately illicit business, the sources said.
The possibility of entering into Public-Private Partnership in respect of drug testing laboratories is also being explored “so that capacity and capability to test the suspected drug samples on 24×7 basis is assured.”
The government will also develop a national data bank of all manufacturers and products licensed which would be available to field officers on real time basis.
It is also likely to offer rebates in ceiling price as per Drug Price Control Order to the industry for adopting technology to curb the spread of fake drugs like visible and distinguishable pictures, invisible printing which can be seen by UV fluorescing pigment and photo chromic ink and hidden marks among others.
Long pending demands of the about Rs 85,000-crore pharma industry for having dedicated small labs at ports to test basic drugs is also likely to be accepted, the sources said.
“Frequent inspection of offshore companies, who are registered to judge their quality standards will also be carried out. This will not have any additional burden of the government because as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, foreign manufacturer is supposed to deposit USD 5000 towards audit of the facilities abroad,” they said.
The government is also working out modalities for inter-ministerial meeting with Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Commerce and Department of Revenue Intelligence among others to deal with the illicit trade.
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Tom – The Home Inspection Guy