Fake Drugs, Govt’s ‘Surgical Strike’ on Pharma Firms
India’s Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, has launched a campaign to uncover problems in the country’s drug manufacturing industry.
Six teams have been formed to conduct audits and raids at identified drug manufacturing units, with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) setting up a committee of two joint drug controllers to monitor the process and take action as necessary. The move comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) accused Indian company Maiden Pharmaceuticals of exporting contaminated medicines that led to the deaths of Gambian children. The inspections, which are ongoing across India, have so far resulted in show-cause notices being issued to companies where good manufacturing practices were found to be violated and the suspension of manufacturing at one unit. The majority of these companies are small and medium enterprises. The audits were conducted based on an action plan that identified manufacturing units at risk of producing drugs that are not of standard quality, adulterated, or spurious. The goal of drug regulation in India is to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of drugs available in the country.
