The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : States told to keep tab on spurious drug manufacturers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 13, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

States told to keep tab on spurious drug manufacturers

Special Correspondent

Draft policy for bringing more lifesaving drugs under price control submitted

Small-scale makers complain that it is costlier to comply with Good Manufacturing Practice
Cancer Assistance Fund will be set up with a corpus of Rs. 200 crore

CHENNAI: Union Minister of Steel and Fertiliser Ram Vilas Paswan has urged the State Governments to keep vigil on pharmaceutical firms on a regular basis to stop manufacture of ‘spurious’ drugs.

Talking to newsmen here on Sunday, Mr. Paswan said it was the State Governments that gave permission to pharmaceutical firms to set up manufacturing units. Hence, they had to keep monitoring them. Small-scale drug makers had been complaining that it was costlier to comply with Good Manufacturing Practice under Schedule M (for quality). “Life is precious, so the manufacturers have to produce good quality drugs. They have to invest more. Some of the drugs that are banned abroad are still available in our country,” he said.

Mr. Paswan said he had submitted a draft policy demanding that more lifesaving drugs be brought under the price control regime, introduction of health insurance scheme for the poor and establishment of Cancer Assistance Fund. “We have already made a note that is pending before the Cabinet. Around 74 lifesaving drugs are already under price control and we have been urging the Centre to bring another 354 under price control [regime]. The Cancer Assistance Fund would be set up with a corpus of Rs 200 crore. As per the scheme, medicines will be given to poor freely, while below the poverty line families will have to pay 50 per cent of it,” he said.

As per the proposal, a Rs 3,000-crore health insurance scheme would be offered in association with a private insurance firm. The insurer would be eligible for medical treatment up to Rs 35,000 per annum.

“The Indian steel sector is booming and Indians are making news globally by acquiring big firms. There is no need for decontrolling mechanism in the steel sector. There is a Monitoring Committee under the Steel Secretary to revive the situation. In the last three years, the prices have not gone up drastically. Moreover, it has been within 3 to 5 per cent band. The price increase depends on the international price movement,” he said.

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