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DoP to hold meeting with industry & trade bodies on July 27 to discuss barcoding for domestic market
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Laxmi Yadav, Mumbai
July 27 , 2016
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With its plan to introduce barcoding on pharma products in domestic
market as part of efforts to counter spurious drugs, the Department of
Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has convened a meeting of industry bodies such as
OPPI, IPA, IDMA along with pharma trade organisation, AIOCD on July 27.
DoP
has already made it mandatory for pharma exporters to implement
barcoding on secondary and tertiary of pharmaceuticals packaging from
April 1, 2016. On the other hand, the country has struggled with
unabated supply of spurious medicines at the retail level with no
effective tracking system.
Last year the Union Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in a draft circular announced its
intention to extend track and trace system to drugs circulating in the
domestic market.
As a part of this exercise, DoP secretary called
this meeting of OPPI, IPA, IDMA and AIOCD to discuss the implementation
of track and trace system for drugs sold in domestic market.
Complementing
the government's move to implement barcoding on drugs circulating in
the domestic market, Suresh Gupta, general secretary, AIOCD said “This
is a welcome step. It will curb the loopholes in the system allowing
certain unscrupulous elements in the pharma supply chain to circulate
fake and sub standard drugs in the domestic market putting consumers at
risk.”
"Counterfeits continue to remain a huge threat to the
industry. As an industry we have the responsibility of providing quality
medicines to Indian patients. We are supportive of initiatives that
will provide our patients safe and quality drugs," said Kanchana TK,
Director General, OPPI.
A considerable section of experts feels
that if track and trace system is implemented for export market then why
should the same not apply to the domestic supply?
Few years
back a consumer rights group had approached the Allahabad High Court
seeking implementation of track and trace system for drugs circulating
in domestic market to check menace of spurious drugs. Following the High
Court direction, the ministry had set up a task force to suggest it on
the best way forward.
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