State drug control intensifies surveillance on medicine irregularities

Kolkata: The state drug control has decided to intensify surprise visits to various medicine shops and take strict action in the case of a mismatch in the batch number of medicines.

The drug control has already served show-cause notices to various medicine shops after it found some irregularities in the batch numbers of medicines. The shop owners have been directed to give a reply within three days. It was learnt that the state drug control may take stringent action if irregularities in connection with the batch numbers of medicines

are proved. “If the responses from the medicine shop owners to the questions are not satisfactory, the license to sell medicines will be temporarily suspended,” sources in the drug control stated. The state health department has also been working in coordination with the drug control department.

Meanwhile, in another development, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) informed Bengal and other state governments and Union Territory Drugs Controllers about the theft of a widely prescribed insulin.

A stolen consignment of the insulin has prompted a nationwide alert, with India’s drug regulator warning that any disruption to the cold chain could compromise the medicine’s effectiveness and endanger patients. The particular batch of insulin was reportedly stolen from Jagmohanpur in Odisha while being transported to a Kolkata clearing and forwarding agent. Police investigations are currently underway. The CDSCO has also urged the state regulators to maintain strict vigilance to prevent the compromised batch from entering the market. Mpost