8% medicines found sub-standard in state

In a shocking revelation, at least eight per cent of the total tested drugs (medicines) in Maharashtra have been found to be of sub-standard quality, which can have an adverse impact on the health of patients. The data reveals that from the last five years, a total of 1,661 drugs have been found to be sub-standard and adulterated.

Acting promptly against the sale of adulterated drugs, the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) has seized drugs worth Rs 10 crore in the last five years.

The issue came to light recently, when a parliamentarian raised concerns over the adulterated drugs in the ongoing session of the Lok Sabha. There are around 1,400 drug producing units in the state from which Maharashtra records an annual turnover of over Rs 5,000 crore.

According to the data revealed by the union health and family welfare department minister, Ashwini Kumar Choubey in the Lok Sabha, it showed that in 2014-15, 4,406 drugs were tested, of which 420 have been found not complying with the quality standards. In 2015-16, 3,778 samples were given for testing and 351 failed the test. Again, in 2016-17, 335 drugs were found of sub-standard of the total 4,592 examined drugs. In 2017-18, 4,760 drugs were sent to laboratories for quality testing and 361 failed in the quality check. In 201819, 2,816 were tested while 194 failed to clear the parameters of quality checks.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) officers have raised the demand for strict rules and more powers to punish offenders. “We conduct raids every day at different centres and seize faulty medicines but still there is no stringent rules. Hence, a person gets bail after just paying few thousands rupees,” said a senior officer from FDA, Mumbai.

According to FDA, in most cases, the seized contaminated medicines are procured at the smaller scale markets. Pertinently, despite finding out so many cases of substandard drugs, the collection of samples in the state has fallen by almost 36 per cent from 4,406 in 2014-15 to 2,816 last year. In India, in the last five years, 3,84,200 drugs have been tested, of which 15,517 have been found as counterfeit medicines.

Consumption of sub-standard drugs can cause severe health consequences leading to morbidity and mortality. “Sub-standard or contaminated drugs can lead to averse affect leading allergic reactions or drug resistance. In a long run, it can leads to depression of the central nervous system, seizures, metabolic liver and acute renal failure,” said Dr Gautam Bhansali, general physican at Bombay Hospital.