UT Khader
A pharmacy at KLE Medical College and Hospital in Belagavi had procured 15,300 vials from a Pfizer C&F at a discounted price, claiming the medicines were needed for the hospital, according to Khader. However, the hospital required only 140 vials, while the remaining was allegedly sold in the market by the pharmacist at a higher price, Khader said.
The minister said further action on the proposed changes will be taken after a national conclave of Food and Drug Administration officials scheduled to be held in Bengaluru in Oct. An acknowledgement was subsequently issued by the hospital for receipt of the stock. The proposed Karnataka changes are being considered against the backdrop of Uttar Pradesh’s recent order on institutional drug supplies. The UP drug regulator tightened traceability requirements for medicines supplied to hospitals and other institutions at special discounts. Such medicines must be billed to the intended institution, delivered to the destination and marked ‘institutional supply’ on the packaging.
FDA has so far cancelled licences of 16 retail and wholesale firms and suspended eight others, including a Pfizer C&F depot in Nelamangala, as part of the probe. The proposal comes amid an ongoing investigation into the Bidadi spurious drug racket. “There is an established chain aimed at making drug distribution easier and creating more employment opportunities. But having so many stops between the company and the final user might create unforeseen obstacles and make it difficult to fix accountability. This is why we are trying to streamline these channels, similar to what is being done in Uttar Pradesh. This might even help in reducing cost of drugs as a lot of commission will be cut,” Khader explained. Investigators suspect some of the spurious medicines linked to Krupa Health Care, the wholesale drug centre allegedly operated by a key accused in the Bidadi case, may have been mixed with this consignment and entered the market. These allegations form part of the ongoing investigation and have not been independently established.