Medicine
Following the recent Bidadi spurious drug scam, health minister UT Khader said the health department was considering tightening the supply chain along the lines of Uttar Pradesh’s new institutional procurement rules. The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) should instead focus on the leak that is occurring between C&F agents and distributors,” said MK Mayanna, president, Bruhat Bengaluru Chemists and Druggists’ Association. Bengaluru: As Karnataka govt considers tightening the drug supply chain by enabling direct procurement between manufacturers and hospitals, pharmacists in the city have opposed the move, arguing that the existing network of carrying and forwarding (C&F) agents, stockists and distributors is essential for ensuring systematic drug supply. The rationale is to reduce the number of intermediaries between manufacturers and end users, making the supply chain easier to track and accountability easier to establish. This is why C&F agents are necessary. He also urged FDA to closely monitor establishments offering steep discounts and strengthen checks on the disposal of expired drugs by retailers and wholesalers to prevent expired medicines from being recycled and re-entering the market.
“Tightening the supply chain itself can result in more scams. The chain is now well-established: manufacturer to stockist, then C&F agents, distributors and finally hospitals or retailers. Since manufacturers are spread across India, it might be easier for spurious drugs to enter the chain if these checks are not there in between. Our drug control department, for instance, will not have jurisdiction in Himachal Pradesh to ensure that fake drugs do not get into the system.