No information about banned drugs available in the country: Ramadoss
Our Bureau, New Delhi

Notwithstanding the reports in the media and repeated pointers by the public interest groups, the Ministry for Health and Family Welfare has claimed that it had no information about the availability of banned drugs being marketed in the country.

"No information has been received in the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) regarding availability in the market of drugs banned in the country under Section 26A of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act," Minister for Health & Family Welfare Dr Anbumani Ramadoss told Rajya Sabha in reply to a question.

"There is no system of banning drugs globally by any organization or regulation. The safety and efficacy of a drug is ascertained as per Schedule Y of Drugs and Cosmetics Rules before market approval in the country. Even after market approval is given for any drug, the safety and efficacy is continuously examined on the basis of information received through pharmacovigilance, post-marketing surveillance and information reported from other countries," he said.

The Minister also informed that in order to examine such information, the Drug Technical Advisory Board under Drugs & Cosmetics Act has constituted a sub-committee, consisting of experts on the subject. The Board will examine the information received from the sources mentioned above and take a final view as to whether to prohibit the manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs or restrict its use for specific population. Accordingly it will recommend to the Government to make suitable amendment in the market authorization or prohibit manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs under Section 26A of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act which empowers the Central Government to prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of such drug or cosmetics.

Source: www.pharmabiz.com
5th September 2007

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