Menace of Fake Drugs in India
The article talks about the unprecedented growth of the fake drugs industry in India.
India planning barcodes, SMS authentication for all medicines
India continues to press ahead with ambitious plans to protect its medicine supply chains from counterfeit and spurious products. The latest proposal is to have a unique identifier (UID) code added to all drugs sold in the domestic market.
India becomes a hub for fake medicines
IN NEW DELHI: Private investigator Suresh Sati rattled off the popular brand names listed on the boxes of cough syrup, supplements, vitamins and painkillers sprawled across the desk and shelves in his basement office.
Govt cracks down on companies making spurious drugs
Gurgaon: The Drug Control Department on Friday confiscated more than 2 lakh fake Ciprofloxacin tablets from a company called Chem Pharma in Gurgaon.
The department got information about the company on July 4. It collected samples from the company for testing, and the results that came on Friday showed the medicines were spurious.
Chem Pharma incidentally has the license to make the drug, but was not using the configuration for the drug.
Dealing with fake drugs
The Mashelkar Committee, which studied the various aspects of the growing threat from spurious drugs, submits an interim report recommending stringent punishment for offenders.
Detention of 13 under Goondas Act in spurious drug case upheld
Chennai: The Madras High Court on Thursday upheld the detention of 13 people under the Goondas Act in connection with the alleged spurious drugs case.
Justices Elipe Dharma Rao and D Hari Paranthaman, who dismissed all petitions on the habeas corpus petitions challenging the detention, said: "The acts alleged to have been indulged in by the detenus and other accused are shocking, posing danger to the public health and therefore, the interest of the state would definitely prevail over the individual liberty claimed by the detenus."
Public Health, Not Drug Patents, at Issue as Counterfeit Medicines Grow
Counterfeit drugs are a growing problem worldwide, especially in developing countries where patients are most vulnerable. Voice of America highlighted this serious public health problem that was raised at a recent meeting of the WHO World Health Assembly. Reporter Vidushi Sinha discusses the dangerous consequences that counterfeiters attempt to circumvent patents on drugs, and measures that some groups of government and defence are taking to combat this problem.
The following is an excerpt from this important article.
MCDA appeals Medical Associations to look into spurious drug scam
IMPHAL Jan 24: In pursuance of the investigation regarding sale and prescription of spurious drugs carried out by the Manipur Chemist and Druggist Association (MCDA) . A press release by RK Ratan, General secretary of the Association named a prominent doctor implicating him for prescribing the
Beware of spurious medical products
Medical products are important to ensure that those who need them would be properly helped. Unfortunately, there are people who manufacture counterfeit medical products, whether medical devices or medicines, and sometimes sell it at lower prices. Using counterfeit medical products would not be able to help; worse, these fake medicines and medical devices can be fatal to anybody who uses it.
Travelling Safely with Medicines
Whether you are travelling domestically or internationally, you won't want an illness to disrupt either your vacation or business plans. This means planning well, managing your medications wisely, and consulting your physician or pharmacist about proper precautions to take before you leave home:
Smaller Pills Pack
Pills may soon be available in smaller packs from retail drug stores in India containing less than 6 or 10 tablets or even smaller each making it convenient for the consumer and affordable for their pockets.
Of late, several drug companies have increased the pack sizes of certain pills from the usual 10 tablets/capsules per packs to bigger ones containg 20 or even 30 pills in each strip.
Recognizing Spurious
While the U.S. drug supply supply is still the safest in the world, ASHP advises consumers to be particularly vigilant about their medications given the recent rise in counterfeiting. ASHP recommends that consumers follow a few simple safety tips when taking medication:
Cheaper Drugs In Villages
Some of the large-selling medicines from multinational drug companies may soon be available to villagers in India at a cheaper price.
Novartis, Europe’s third-largest drug maker, is planning to stock retail drug shops in villages with 58 medicines for common rural illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia.
Avoid Medication Errors
TEN WAYS CONSUMERS CAN HELP ENSURE THAT MEDICATION ERRORS ARE AVOIDED
