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Karnataka taking proactive steps to combat spurious drugs with strong enforcement mechanisms
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Nandita Vijayasimha, Bengaluru
December 01 , 2024
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Karnataka is taking proactive steps to combat the growing menace of spurious drugs and safeguard public health. In its efforts, the state aims to explore a combination of strategies to ensure that only high quality and effective medications reach patients. These include monitoring and enforcement of drug regulations through surprise and regular inspections, improved tracking systems, and swift action against violators.
Surprise checks and enforcement of laws are key to curb the manufacture and sale of spurious drugs and over-the counter medicines in pharmacies. Here the state drugs control department will get full support from the government, said Karnataka Minister of health and family welfare, Dinesh Gundu Rao at the recent 30th year celebration of All India Drugs Control Officers’ Confederation where deliberations focused on the theme ‘Protecting Public Health: Enhancing Patient Safety through Consumer-Centric Regulations’.
It is of prime importance to give due attention to prioritizing patient safety, innovative strategies for improving drug safety for tackling the growing issue of spurious drugs, building public trust through effective drug regulation policies, the Minister said.
Educating the public on how to identify counterfeit medicines, report suspicious drugs, and understand the potential risks are key to Karnataka's strategy. Public health campaigns, workshops, and collaborations with medical professionals could play a significant role in fostering consumer awareness and encouraging the responsible use of medicines, stated a section of delegates at the event.
From a regulatory authority perspective, Karnataka’s drugs controller Dr Umesh S said the enforcement officers in the state are effectively implementing the provisions of the statutes in the interest of public health.
Karnataka is considered as one of the best in the country in terms of regulatory adherence and we wish to excel further. Unfortunately we have shortage of drug inspectors with 102 posts vacant, added the Karnataka drugs controller.
According to Dr BR Jagashetty, former National Adviser (Drugs Control) to MoHFW & CDSCO and former Karnataka state drugs controller, regulations for spurious drugs as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act is stringent. Yet there are spurious drugs being found in the market.
Noting the key reasons for the presence of spurious drugs in the market, Dr Jagashetty said, authentic medicines are expensive, social tolerance is seen along with self-medication which is leading to easy access to internet for verifying information about the drug which cannot be reliable always. Then there are complex supply chains, weak implementation of regulations and inadequate technology for recognition of a genuine drug, said Dr Jagashetty.
P Ramesh, Deputy Drugs Controller, Bengaluru HQ, said that regular audits and inspections should not be compromised to ensure safety standards. There are issues that regulators face when investigating the spurious drugs cases. This is because spurious drugs often mimic legitimate drugs, using similar branding and packaging, making it difficult for consumers and even healthcare professionals to distinguish between them. This can make the detection of spurious products at the market level challenging. This calls for a need to strengthen compliance mechanisms.
Ramesh also focused on the Jan Vishwas Bill (2022) stating, “This Act is aimed for decriminalization & compounding of D&C Act and was introduced with the intent to ease the regulatory burden on businesses. We still need to ensure public safety and to prevent misuse of spurious drugs.”
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