Draws 13 Medicine Samples for Quality Testing
SRINAGAR, JULY 30: In a major initiative to strengthen post-market surveillance of medicines, the Drugs & Food Control Organisation,J&K conducted a special sampling drive across the districts of Srinagar, Baramulla and Kupwara to ensure that only safe, efficacious and quality medicines are available to patients.
The special drive, as per an official statement, with more than 30 inspections in medical sale establishments was carried out by teams of Drugs Control Officers from the three districts, with a focused strategy of lifting statutory drug samples of medicines manufactured by various lesser-known pharmaceutical companies.
13 samples have been drawn for detailed quality testing and dispatched to notified Government Drug Testing Laboratories to ascertain their compliance with the prescribed quality standards under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Rules.
During the drive, operation of one chemist M/s Aleena Medicate, near Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital, Rainawari, was suspended for one day, for absence of qualified person.
The drive forms part of the Department’s intensified market surveillance programme aimed at proactively monitoring the quality of medicines available in the supply chain. By targeting products manufactured by lesser-known companies, the department seeks to strengthen regulatory oversight and ensure that medicines reaching the public conform to established standards of safety, efficacy and quality.
Khalid Jahangeer, Commissioner, Food and Drugs Administration, J&K, reiterated that the Department remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that every patient in the Union Territory has access to safe, effective and quality medicines. He said that surveillance and enforcement activities will continue to be intensified across Jammu and Kashmir and warned that stringent action under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act will be taken against any manufacturer, distributor or retailer found dealing in drugs that fail to meet prescribed quality standards.
The special drive was conducted under the overall supervision of Rajesh Kumar, State Drugs Controller, J&K, who stated that the Department has adopted a robust risk-based surveillance mechanism to safeguard public health. He emphasized that regular statutory sampling, rigorous quality testing and continuous market monitoring are essential to maintain the integrity of the pharmaceutical supply chain and protect patients from substandard or non-compliant medicines.
The Drugs & Food Control Organisation,J&K has appealed to all stakeholders in the pharmaceutical supply chain to adhere strictly to the statutory provisions governing the manufacture, distribution and sale of medicines. The Department also urged the public to purchase medicines only from licensed pharmacies and to report any suspected quality-related issues to the Drugs & Food Control Organisation,J&K for prompt action.
