Spurious Drug Production Exposes Laxity Of FSSAI

Solan, 9 March 2020:

The manufacturing of spurious drugs by Glenmars Healthcare has again brought to the fore the laxity of the regulatory authorities in Baddi.

It was a unique case of its kind where the licence to manufacture health supplements had been misused to make spurious drugs and officials of the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) had failed to detect any such violation.

The unit began operations in January 2017. It was surprising why the nefarious activity was never detected and whether any inspection of the unit was carried out prior to grant of the licence or in the last three years.

The FSSAI has no inspector in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial area which has several firms.

The case has necessitated the need for strengthening the regulatory mechanism of the FSSAI which is short of staff.

It was due to information received by the Drug Control Administration (DCA) of Chhattisgarh as well as a packaging unit at Jharmajri in Baddi that the nefarious drug manufacturing was detected, said Deputy Drug Controller Manish Kapoor.

He said drugs seized from the unit had been sent for lab analysis to ascertain whether they contained the requisite active ingredient or something else.

With drugs bearing the label of a Baddi-based unit and some firms from Uttarakhand having been confiscated, it was being inquired whether they were manufactured after receiving orders or on its own by Glenmars Healthcare.

Assistant Commissioner, FSSAI, LD Thakur, said the unit’s licence had been suspended. State Drug Controller Navneet Marwaha said various aspects like supply of foil and other packaging material to this unit would also be inquired into. The Tribune