ASPA Urges Govt To Implement Track And Trace As Part Of CSR Activity

Mumbai, 11 March 2020:

In a bid to accelerate adoption of track and trace system for drugs sold in the domestic market, Authentication Solution Providers' Association (ASPA) has urged the government to make implementation of anti-counterfeiting measures mandatory for drug manufacturing companies under their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity.

To implement track and trace system for drugs under price control, the association suggested the government should provide drug makers incentives for the same.

Domestic drug makers have time and again reiterated that implementation of authentication solutions on packs of drugs sold in the country will lead to rise in drug prices. It is against the ethos of the government which is making endeavor to provide quality medicines at an affordable price.

With an aim to make adoption of authentication solutions affordable, ASPA has come out with two-pronged strategy. This includes making its implementation as part of CSR activities of the drug firms and incentivising it.

Said Nakul Pasricha, president of ASPA, “The implementation of anti-counterfeiting solutions for drugs marketed in the country will improve drug quality and patient safety. Given the cost involved in implementation of authentication solutions, he said that ASPA member companies are fully geared up to help drug industry protect brands and safeguard consumer interest at reasonable cost.”

As of now, there is no requirement for domestic drug manufacturers to put in place some kind of anti-counterfeiting measures that will help prevent spurious drug from entering the supply chain. It is high time the government of India adopt anti-counterfeiting measure to ensure patient safety.

Recently, an industrial unit licensed to manufacture dietary supplements was found manufacturing spurious drugs in the Sai area of Baddi.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) had earlier proposed to implement a unique quick response code (QR) on drug packs which helps obtain information about the product and track its origin.

“The initiative is aimed at passing the benefit of fair pricing to the consumer and tracking drugs so that the threat of spurious medicines can be eliminated. But the proposal is yet to see light of the day. The government and industry need to work together to promote patient safety and quality medicine,” Pasricha added.

He further added that the government needs to come out with a regulation mandating implementation of track and trace system for drugs in the local market in line with such mechanism for drugs meant for exports.

As per a survey conducted by the government of India in recent years, the proportion of substandard drugs was at about 3% of the total drugs sold in the country, while about 0.28% were found to be spurious. Pharmabiz