Shillong, Jan. 11: The Civil Society Women’s Organization (CSWO) on Friday threatened to approach the court with a plea to direct the state government to cancel the license of a pharmaceutical company which has allegedly been manufacturing spurious drugs and selling them in the state.
CSWO president Agnes Kharshiing alleged that the company, Induscreed Pharmaceutical Industry, has been operating even though its license had been cancelled by the Assistant Drugs Controller (ADC) for failing to comply with the standard and norms set by the Indian Pharmacopoeia. ““We will file a PIL to seek immediate action against the medicine manufacturing industry and those involved in issuing the license to it,” warned Kharshiing.
The company has been manufacturing medicines and supplying the drugs to different health centres of the government spread across the state, putting at risk the lives of people taking them. “The place where the medicines have been manufactured is quite pathetic and unhygienic and it does not follow good manufacturing practices,” she said.
Kharshiing said it was inexplicable why the government has continued to allow the unit to supply medicines to state government hospitals. “The government is putting the lives of children at risk by allowing this unit to continue and we will not allow this to happen,” she asserted.
In a letter to the Director of Health Services (MI), Shillong on October 10, 2012, the medical superintendent of Ganesh Das Hospital had sought clarification on the strength of ‘Albendazole Suspension’ supplied by Induscreed Pharmaceutical. The letter said as per Indian Pharmacopoeia, the standard strength of Albendazole Suspension should be 400mg for 10ml, but the medicines being supplied to the hospital were of 200mg for 10ml.
The CSWO also expressed the hope that a suo moto case would be taken up by the high court so that such people responsible are arrested immediately as the medicines are being taken by the children in the rural areas. It is also contemplating seeking the intervention of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on the matter. (By Our Reporter)
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