Swasthya Bhawan takes steps to withdraw test-fail drugs
Times of India | 7 March 2025
12 Kolkata: The state health department on Thursday directed the state directorate of drugs control (DDC) to find out if any of the batches from the non-standard quality (NSQ) drugs, recently published by Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), are in circulation in Bengal. Officials said efforts were on to recall drugs that failed the quality test.
The national regulatory body for drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices listed select batches of 63 medicines as non-standard quality after they failed quality tests in Jan. Paschim Banga Pharmaceutical is the only manufacturer from Bengal that appeared on the list for 16 batches of Ringer's Lactate, an IV drip that failed the quality test. The company was blacklisted by the Bengal govt in Jan.
The Swasthya Bhawan order asked the DDC Bengal to circulate the CDSCO notification to the central procurement system, govt hospitals, distributors and drug inspectors to ensure immediate withdrawal of drugs that failed the test. The Central Medical Store, from where drugs are supplied to govt health facilities, has been told to withdraw such drugs from its system and tell hospitals to stop using them, in case they were sent.
The state DDC has also been told to monitor wholesalers and retailers. Shops will have to display NSQ batches every month. "We are taking steps to prevent these drugs from reaching the public," said a health official.
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