Regulatory standards must be stronger for quality medicines: Health secy

State drug regulators should ensure that medicines are sold only through prescriptions so that narcotic drugs are not diverted for trafficking or other illicit uses, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastav has said.

Chairing a meeting with state drug regulators to address illicit use of psychotropic drugs under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan and strengthen regulatory capacities of states and UTs on Monday, she said regulatory standards need to be strong to ensure that only quality and effective medicines circulate in the country.

During the meeting, Srivastava urged state drug regulators to ensure that medicines are sold only through prescriptions so that narcotic drugs are not diverted for trafficking or other illicit uses.

She also complimented Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and state drug regulators for completing risk-based inspections of 905 drug manufacturing and testing firms, resulting in 694 actions being taken so far.

The meeting comes in the wake of the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) prohibiting the production and export of all combinations of pain relief medicines tapentadol and carisoprodol, following reports that unapproved combinations of these drugs were exported to West African countries by a Mumbai-based pharma firm causing an opioid crisis there.