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Govt should mandate PG cos to supply small quantities 'as required' by MSMEs to halt contamination: TN IDMA
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Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai
October 22 , 2025
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The recent public health scare linked to the contaminated Coldrif cough syrup, which came from a manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu, has shone a harsh light on a critical safety problem in India’s drug supply chain.
“It is a systemic issue tied to getting vital raw materials, especially propylene glycol (PG), a solvent used in many medicines”, says J Jayaseelan, chairman of the Tamil Nadu IDMA (Indian Drug Manufacturers Association).
He says the way PG is currently supplied is a direct threat to patient safety, and the government must act immediately to remove the middlemen in the market.
In an interview with Pharmabiz, Jayaseelan said that there is a huge disconnect between what small drug makers (MSMEs) need and what large solvent manufacturers will sell. Most MSME pharma units only need small amounts of PG, usually 25 to 40 kilograms at a time. However, major producers, companies like India Glycols, BASF, Dow, Manali, and Reliance, only deal in large bulk orders. Their Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) is often a prohibitive 250 kilograms. This huge minimum is too much for small companies to buy or safely store.
“Because of this 250 kg roadblock, small manufacturers are forced to buy their PG from market traders. These traders are willing to break the bulk down and sell the small, five-kilogram lots that MSMEs actually need. This reliance on the secondary market is the main failure point in the entire supply chain. The biggest problem is that there’s a persistent and serious concern that these traders adulterate the authentic, pharma-grade PG. To boost their profits, they are suspected of mixing the pure solvent with cheaper, potentially toxic, industrial-grade PG or other chemicals”, he comments.
This harmful, under-the-radar practice directly introduces contamination into the medicines being made. The catastrophic result is contaminated medicine that risks public health, as seen in the recent tragedy. According to the TN IDMA Chairman, there is only one way to eliminate this risk, that is, the government must issue a mandatory order to the PG manufacturing companies.
This mandate must legally force the major producers to supply the solvent directly to MSME pharma units in the exact small quantities they require, whether it is 25 kg, 40 kg, or any necessary lot size. Jayaseelan firmly believes this is the only practical way to instantly cut out the risky middlemen and guarantee that small drug makers get pure, authentic raw material straight from the source.
The industry leader contends that the safety of the nation’s medicines cannot be dictated by the large-volume sales targets of big corporations. Implementing this direct supply mandate is, he asserts, the necessary and non-negotiable step to restore confidence in drug quality and prevent any future contamination tragedies caused by a broken and dangerous supply chain.
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