Chinese passing off fake drugs as ‘Made in India’
NEW DELHI: Are fake drugs manufactured in China being pushed into various African countries with the `Made in India' tag? The Indian government has long suspected this to be the case, but it now has definite evidence for the first time.
Last week, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of Nigeria issued a press release stating that a large consignment of fake anti-malarial generic pharmaceuticals labelled `Made in India' were, in fact, found to have been produced in China.
India seeks new WHO policy for fake drugs
The government has urged the World Health Organisation (WHO) to address the issue of spurious, substandard drugs through an effective alternative instead of confusing it with the 'counterfeit medical products'.
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.
FICCI Launches Committee to Combat Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities
New Delhi: In a bid to counter the menace of illicit trade, FICCI today formed a Committee on Anti Smuggling & Counterfeiting. Smuggling and trade in counterfeit goods poses a serious threat to the manufacturing sector, stifles innovation, and leads to loss of tax revenue, and employment. In addition, the prevalence of counterfeit drugs and goods is a serious hazard to the health of ordinary citizens.
CDSCO to conduct 2nd national survey to estimate quantum of spurious drugs soon
With the conflicting reports keep appearing in the media, especially in the international publications, on the speculated quantum of spurious drugs, the CDSCO is planning to continue its initiative to hold regular surveys to officially assess the extent of spurious and sub-standard drugs in the country.
Proactive regulatory authority & incorporation of RFID tags on drugs can curb
A sturdy, proactive drugs handle authority, establishment of an independent intelligence branch at state level, appointment of officers in the intelligence branch possessing aptitude for investigation, efficient networking involving stakeholders along with the incorporation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags on drug packs are some key measures place forth by pharmaceutical authorities to control and to curb the menace of counterfeit drugs in the region.
Spurious drug makers to get life term
HYDERABAD: Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 would be implemented strictly as a deterrent to those indulging in the manufacture and sale of spurious drugs, Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said. Designated special courts would also be set up for trial of offences under this Act, he added.
Inaugurating the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) Bhavan today, Azad said that to begin with, special courts would be set up in cities and districts where there is a concentration of drugs and pharmaceutical industries.
India raise concern over WHO’s failure to replace IMPACT with working group on counterfeit drugs
India has raised strong concern over the delay in setting up a working group by the World Health Organisation to address the problems of counterfeit and substandard medicines and adopt changes in the policy, instead of leaving the task with controversial International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT).
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
Come July, all drug exports will be subject to govt surveillance
NEW DELHI: India has made it mandatory for all pharmaceutical exporters to send their shipments under a trace and track surveillance system to prevent spurious drugs manufacturers in countries like China to pass off their medicines as Indian products.
DCC committee recommends to adopt unique ID & bar coding for all pharma products to counter counterfeit drugs
In order to safeguard the interests of the genuine drug manufacturers of the country and to counter the entry of counterfeit drugs into the market, the sub-committee of Drug Consultative Committee (DCC), constituted by the drug controller general of India (DCGI), has decided to recommend to adopt a unique ID and bar coding for all the pharma products in India, it is learnt.
State govt clears Drugs Control Dept's proposal to carry out drug sampling drive
Karnataka drugs control department has received clearance from the State government to implement the project on drug sampling. The project is expected to help assess the quality of drugs and check the sale of not-of-standard quality medicines in circulation.
Karnataka will be the second state in the country after Andhra Pradesh to implement the drug sampling drive which tested about 530 samples and found around only 11 drugs to be not-of-standard quality.
Goondas Act on fake drugs scam suspects upheld
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday upheld the detention of 13 persons allegedly involved in the sale of fake and expired drugs under the Goondas Act, holding that there was no illegality in the detention orders slapped on them by the city police commissioner.
Track & Trace system to be in place soon to ensure quality of drug exports
Aiming to control the export of counterfeit drugs from the country, the ministry of commerce is contemplating to implement the track and trace system for all the medicines that are exported from India. The stakeholders have already submitted their reports to the technical experts in the Committee of Administration (CoA) of Pharmexcil on the technology to be used for implementation. Soon after getting clearance from the committee the final draft would be sent to the ministry of commerce for the approval.
Spurious drugs: suppliers roam free
KOLKATA: The state directorate of drug control has failed to take action against two drug suppliers for providing inferior quality of drugs to some wholesalers and chemists in some districts of the state.
Rajasthan
Hospitals in Rajasthan, a western state of India, will soon have low-cost medicine shops attached to them.
Rajasthan is planning to set up 105 drug stores that sell low-cost generic medicines in the government hospitals within a month, reports said.
The Rajasthan government has forged an alliance with the state-owned drug manufacturer Rajasthan Drugs and Pharmaceuticals (RDPL) as well as Rajasthan medical department and cooperative department to start generic medicine stores across the state.
APMSRU
Andhra Pradesh Medical & Sales Representatives Union (APMSRU), in a resolution, has urged the Chief
Minister, K Rosaiah, to take steps to control the pharmaceutical companies in adopting unethical means for promoting their products across the state.
International Drug Safety
International Principles for Drug Safety - Patient safety is being compromised due to counterfeit drugs. Around the world, patients are encountering fake medicines. The packaging seems right, the tablets or capsules look the same—but these fakes are really imitations of government-approved drugs created in unsanitary or unsterile conditions with unsafe manufacturing practices.
Jan Aushadi Kolkata
Two government hospitals in Kolkata will soon have Jan Aushadhi Stores that will offer generic medicines and costly cancer drugs at discounted rates. Jan Aushadhi Stores (JAS), is an initiative of the department of pharmaceuticals under the Union ministry of chemicals and fertilizers. Government plans to sell generic medicine at subsidized prices through Jan Aushadhi Stores chains across the country as part of its programme to make medicine more affordable to the needy sections of the society.
Jan Aushadi Haryana
Haryana cracks down chemists selling habit-forming drugs illegally to youths
The north Indian state of Haryana has boosted its effort to tackle the growing incidence of misuse of habit forming drugs among youth sold by certain errant chemists across the state.
The health department of Haryana has decided to add 35 new drug inspectors to speed up the crack down on the chemists and drug stores indulged in storage and sale of addictive drugs, said Punjab health minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla .
Jan Aushadi
Over the years India, has developed a strong capability in producing quality branded and generic medicines in most of the therapeutic categories, evolving from an mere Rs 1500 crores industry in 1980 to a more than Rs 68,000 crores industry in 2008.
However, although these medicines are reasonably priced, as compared to the prices of their equivalent medicines in most other countries, yet a large population of poor people in the country, find it difficult to afford the more expensive branded category of medicines.
Jan Aushadi 1
Two government hospitals in Kolkata will soon have Jan Aushadhi Stores that will offer generic medicines and costly cancer drugs at discounted rates.
Jan Aushadhi Stores (JAS), is an initiative of the department of pharmaceuticals under the Union ministry of chemicals and fertilizers. Government plans to sell generic medicine at subsidized prices through Jan Aushadhi Stores chains across the country as part of its programme to make medicine more affordable to the needy sections of the society.
Banned Drugs
The Government of India vide notifications published in the Gazette of India vide G.S.R. No. 578 (E) dated 23/07/1983 and subsequent amendments, made under Section 26 A of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 has prohibited the manufacture, sale and distribution of the following categories of fixed dose combinations which do not have any therapeutic justification or are likely to involve risk to human beings: G.S.R. No. 578 (E) dt 23-07-1983
