Date:08/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/08/stories/2007120861350100.htm

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Drug information centre opened

Special Correspondent

Three pharmacologists will answer patients’ queries

CHENNAI: For most people, it is not just the doctor’s prescription that is unintelligible; they do not quite understand how the pills work for them, or even against them.

This situation is just about to change, with the State’s first Drug Information and Pharmaco Vigilance Centre launched here on Friday.

A joint venture between the Directorate of Drugs Control and Tamil Nadu Pharmacy Council, it will help patients who have questions about drugs prescribed to them.

The three personnel appointed to the centre (qualified pharmacologists) will answer queries pertaining to drugs that callers raise.

If the information is not available immediately, the person who attends the call will revert with details either on phone or by e-mail, according to Director of Drugs Control N. Selvaraju.

In the two days the Centre attempted a dry run, before the official launch, it was flooded with calls.

Inaugurating the centre, Health Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam said doctors did not have the time to provide their patients with information about the drugs prescribed.

The centre would help create awareness and soon emerge as a model for the rest of the country.

As a pharmacovigilance unit, it could also ensure that fake drugs were not circulated in the market, and outdated and banned drugs not sold.

The centre would also receive information from the public, hospitals and others about the adverse effect of any drug.

This data would be collated and used for future studies on the nature of the drug so that corrective measures could be taken to counteract toxicity.

At a later stage, it was hoped that the centre would also double up as a Haemo Vigilance Centre to ensure that safe and quality blood and blood products were used.

Health secretary V.K. Subburaj said given the current limitations of supervision and monitoring of the drug industry, that enjoys sales up to Rs.4,000 crore, the centre would be a great source of support to the Health Department and the Drugs Control Directorate.

There were at least 40,000 retail units in Tamil Nadu and each could stock up to 22,000 brands. It was a massive task monitoring all this.

The Centre functions on the Directorate of Medical Services campus at Teynampet and can be accessed through phone: 04424338421; email: tndruginfo@gmail.com, tndruginfo@yahoo.com.

It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on all

government working days. The timings could be extended according to demand.