Pharmacies continue to sell banned drugs in remote and far-flung areas of Hyderabad

Hyderabad, January, 2017

The pharmacies on the outskirts and some of the remote areas across Hyderabad and in some of the far away districts in Telangana still continue to sell the banned drugs. Earlier last year the central government had banned 344 medicines and had given time to the pharmacies and the manufacturers to recall all the banned medicines. However defying this ban some of the drug traders and manufacturers have dumped the banned drugs to pharmacies on the outskirts of Hyderabad such as Shamshabad, Shamirpet, Hayatnagar and Rajendranagar areas as these medical stores are far away from the drug control vigilance radar.

According to a senior drug inspector at Telangana State Drug Control Authority, some of the erring pharmacies on the outskirts and in the far away rural areas in the districts are still continuing to sell the banned drugs.  “On the outskirts, the vigilance of drug controller inspectors is less compared to the core city areas. Taking advantage of this, the traders are dumping the banned drugs to these outskirt pharmacies. Moreover, most of the drugs dispensing staff appointed in the medical shops are unqualified and they are unaware of the new developments or new government orders, because of this they are also being duped by some of the drug traders who are constantly dumping the banned drugs to the outskirt pharmacies. Moreover the drug manufacturing companies are also equally responsible as they have not recalled their supplies. In view of this we are now planning to concentrate on such erring pharmacies and will take necessary action against them for not abiding the ban,” said a senior drug control officer from TSDCA.

Particularly the pharmacists who are not linked to the state pharmacy council and shops which are not registered pharmacists to dispense drugs are unaware and not kept in the loop on announcements regarding medicines. Currently the central government had banned more than 1,000 fixed dose combinations and 500 other medicines which have been in the market for more than 25 years. However its implementation on the ground has been minimal. 

“Though the government had banned these drugs, we have not been intimated properly as to how to dispose of the stocks which we already have. With manufacturing companies not coming forward to recall these banned supplies we have no option but to sell them off as early as possible. However in some other cases, some pharmacists or drug dispensers are unaware of the list of banned drugs and they continue to procure the drugs which are in demand and sell off to the patients. This needs to be checked,” observed Shankar, a pharmacists from Jadcherla on the outskirts of Hyderabad.  

Among the pharmacists, there is an opinion that the ban orders issued by the central government requires to have a system to understand it, which was not available in most of the small and medium scale pharmacies.

The main reason for the central government banning the fixed dose combinations is because of side-effects and also because of its indiscriminate prescriptions by the doctors.