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Centre keen to adopt Gujarat’s NSQ drug recall system across India
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Suja Nair Shirodkar
August 26 , 2016
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Impressed by the overall performance of the drug regulatory mechanism
adopted in Gujarat, Mansukhbhai Mandaviya, the Union minister of state
for chemicals and fertilizers, made a visit to the state FDCA's office.
The minister's intention was to get a better understanding of the
regulatory practice adopted by Gujarat and role of e governance.
The
minister was impressed by the salient features of e-governance
practices in state and may consider adopting it country-wide. He showed
special interest in understanding the revolutionary not-of-standard
quality (NSQ) drug recall SMS alert system.
Appreciating Gujarat
FDCA's effort, he stressed that such revolutionary steps are a
much-needed reform in the drug administration in the country to address
and protect the patients from NSQ drugs.
Gujarat FDCA is the
first state drug authority in the country to have this SMS alert system
for the benefit of the patients so that the product can be taken off the
market as soon as possible before it reaches majority of the patients.
According
to Dr H G Koshia, commissioner, Food & Drugs Control Administration
(FDCA), Gujarat has come a long way in effectively curbing the use of
NSQ drugs in the state through its drug recall system ever since its
launch.
Recent reports from the Gujarat FDCA office shows sharp
decrease in the availability of NSQ drugs in the state in the last few
years. Dr Koshia informed that in the year 2015-16 from 13540 drug
samples collected, only 448 samples were tested NSQ. While in 2014-15
from the 11300 samples tested, 516 were found to be NSQ. While in
2013-14 out of 9,317 samples collected, 567 samples were tested NSQ.
In
terms of percentage taken over seven years, there has been a sharp
decline in the overall samples that were tested NSQ from 12.7 per cent
in 2009-10 to 3.3 per cent in the 2015-16 in Gujarat.
“Time and
again we have received accolades for this path breaking initiative
developed and specifically designed with an aim to sensitise the stake
holders from selling recalled NSQ drugs in the market. With the help of
this bulk SMS system, it has become easier and faster for us to inform
all stakeholders to enable prompt and effective recall. What is unique
about this initiative is that details of the drugs declared as NSQ can
be easily accessed in public domain.”
Apart from this, Mandaviya was also keen to learn more about the mobile testing van for drug and food, XLN software as well.
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