DCGI to review actions by state controllers on FDC issue on Oct 25
Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai

To review and keep up the pressure on the ongoing campaign against weeding out of irrational combination drugs, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) will meet all the state drug controllers on October 25 at NIPER in Chandigarh. The DCGI has recently held regional level meetings of state drug controllers.

According to sources, the DCGI wanted to ensure that his war against the irrational combinations, which he described as a crime on society, reached its logical end. With time ticking fast as he is on the verge of retirement by the end of this year, the DCGI is in a hurry to ensure the success of his pet scheme. Though the DCGI had given instructions as early as in June this year to the state drug controllers to withdraw licences issued to irrational combination drugs, the state drug controllers conveniently sat on the verbal orders for over four months.

The meeting holds significance as several state drug controllers are reportedly not all happy with the functioning of the DCGI on this vexed issue. Though there are no two opinions on the need to weed out irrational combinations from the market, some of the state drug controllers are of the view that the drug manufacturers should be given more time to enforce the DCGI order.

That the DCGI knew the mood of the state drug authorities in this regard was crystal clear when he decided to hold state drug authorities meeting at four regions of the state to convince the drug regulators about the need to finish the irrational combination drugs. He had already held meetings in Chennai, Goa and Simla in this regard and the meeting at Kolkata has been cancelled at the last minute.

Sources said that in the regional meetings, the state drug authorities had pleaded with the DCGI for giving more time to the drug manufacturers. But the DCGI is said to have turned down the pleas of the state drug controllers and asked them to act fast on the issue.

The meeting on October 25 will review the actions taken by each state on the issue and will keep the pressure on the movement against combination drugs, sources added.

Source: www.pharmabiz.com
10th October 2007

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