Union Consumer Affairs Ministry will soon issue an advisory to the pharmaceutical sector that will stop chemists from compelling consumers to buy the full blister pack of a medicine

June 14, 2023

Recently, there were reports that the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry will soon issue an advisory to the pharmaceutical sector that will stop chemists from compelling consumers to buy the full blister pack of a medicine when a smaller quantity is actually needed. The Ministry’s action in this comes amidst complaints about chemists insisting customers on buying entire strip of tablets or capsules. The forced buying of a full strip of medicine not only leads to medical wastage but will also put unnecessary financial burden on customers.  It is a fact that there are cases where the doctor’s prescription is only for a day or two, but the consumer is forced to buy the entire strip. In some cases, consumers buy medicines in small quantities because they cannot afford to buy for the entire week because of financial constraints. For lakhs of pharmaceutical traders in the country, strip cutting of medicines has been a major issue which has been evading a lasting solution, thanks to the indifferent attitude of the drug authorities. In the absence of clear-cut provisions in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act on strip cutting, arguments and counter-arguments have long been flying thick and fast for and against the practice of cutting of strips by pharmacists. It is a fact that there is a lot of confusion on the issue amongst the pharmacist community as well as amongst regulatory officials. As there is no clear-cut provision in the law whether strip cutting is allowed or not, regulatory officials have different views on the matter. While some regulatory authorities say that strips must be cut if a patient desires, or doctor prescribes so, pharmacists argue that the Section 65 being quoted by the drug authorities to make strip cutting compulsory is irrelevant today as it was formulated much before strips actually came into existence in the country.

As the debate on the issue is still going on, the fact remains that strip cutting is not a desirable practice as that can lead to sale of expired drugs to unsuspecting and illiterate customers. Given the fact that a sizeable percentage of our populace is still illiterate, strip cutting can actually help unethical practices to flourish in the country. It is obvious that when the strips are cut, the cut portion of the drug may not contain the details about expiry date, manufacturing date, batch number and even the name of the drug. It is a fact that almost every day, one or the other product strip size is increased or changed by the manufacturers, including the reputed ones. From 6 to 10 to 15 to 30, some strip sizes are now of 30, 40 & even 50. Such huge sizes of strips are certainly creating a chaotic situation. This increases the likelihood of cutting a strip. Otherwise, the consumers will have to shell out money for the entire strip which is not actually needed for them. Certainly, it is an unnecessary financial burden on the consumers. With the fast moving medicines, the pharmacists also have no problem in cutting the strip and selling the required quantity of medicine to customers. In case of slow moving medicines, pharmacists insist on consumers buying an entire strip because distributors or pharmaceutical companies refuse to take back unsold medicines if the strips are cut. Definitely, the situation now calls for rationalization of strip sizes based on the therapeutic value, dosing and cost of the drug.

PHARMABIZ.com