Andhra Pradesh

Spurious drugs a cause for concern

VISAKHAPATNAM: Improved health care has increased the lifespan of modern man. But, the growing threat of sub-standard and spurious drugs is not only prolonging the cure for even simple diseases but also resulting in a steep increase in the cost of health care. T.V. Krishna Mohan of Akkayyapalem had purchased Dudrops (eye drops) from a medical store at Akkayyapalem recently and found that the colour of the liquid had changed.

“I have often noticed Epilex tablets reduced to a paste inside the strip,” says B. Venkateswara Rao of Appayya Nagar. A sample of the drug Ismorin by the Drugs Control Administration taken from a drug store at Seethammadhara was found to be substandard a couple of years ago. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Though the successive Governments had appointed committees from time to time to study the problem and suggest remedial measures, they have not bothered to implement their recommendations.

The committees, appointed during the last 25 years, had mainly stressed on the need to strengthen the regulatory mechanism and imposing of stringent punishments on those violating the rules. Drugs worth about Rs.36,000 crores are being sold in the country. According to conservative estimates about 10 per cent of these drugs are either spurious or substandard.

“A decade ago, manufacturers of spurious drugs used chalk powder or 50 per cent less drug. The trend today is the counterfeiting of top drug brands. The modus operandi of the crooks is to infiltrate the stocks into rural areas where awareness levels are low,” says Drugs Inspector Ravi Uday Bhaskar.

“Lack of adequate data on manufacturing companies located in different states and their products is compounding the woes of the drugs control administration that is already starved of manpower,” he says.

“Combination drugs are being duplicated and found to be sub-standard,” says Assistant Professor, Government Regional Eye Hospital, G. Hanumantha Rao.

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