Fake drugs is a worry for Drug Controller General of India

Hyderabad: Fake drugs is a major worry for the Drug Controller General of India as an estimated 10 to 12 per cent of medicines like paracetamol, dopamine (anti-depressant) and pantocid (acidity) in the market are fake.

Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra have very high numbers while the other states have less than five per cent of these spurious drugs. The instances come to light only when complaints are registered by customers or when the state drug controllers carry out random checks and seize batches.

A senior drug control officer in Hyderabad said, “There have been demands for introducing uniform standards and also for a drug tracking system but the modalities are far from ready.”

The lack of complaints is seen as one of the weaknesses in curbing the entry of these drugs in the market. “If there is a noise made, then the supplier is alerted. But as the patients remain silent it becomes difficult to nail the culprits,” explained a senior government officer.

According to Partnership of Safe Medicines, very few manufacturers have “good manufacturing practices” certificates and till the government works towards ensuring their implementation, curbing the menace would be a difficult task.