Union health ministry undertakes largest ever drug survey

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, had entrusted the work relating to carrying out a survey of the extent of problems of  ‘Spurious and Not of Standard Quality Drugs’ to the National Institute of Biologicals (NIB), Noida. The NIB has since submitted the report to the government. This was  the largest ever scientifically designed and professionally executed drug survey undertaken in the world for determining the quality of drugs.

All the samples were subjected to test / analysis as per pharmacopoeial requirements in the Central and State Drug Testing Laboratories accredited by NABL. Overall, out of the 47,012 samples tested, 13 samples were found to be spurious and 1,850 samples were found to be ‘Not of Standard Quality’ (NSQ). As such, the percentage of NSQ Drugs in India has been found to be 3.16% and that of Spurious drugs 0.0245%, according to a PIB release.

A nationwide training in drugs survey methodology was imparted at 28 centres across the country to over 1,800 Sample Drawing Officers (SDOs) and representatives of the Civil Society / Pharmacy Council of India (PCI). The role of the Civil Society / Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) representatives was to observe that the drugs samples are drawn in accordance with the sampling methodology and the highest degree of transparency and objectivity is maintained in the process to eliminate any bias.