JCDA assails Maselkar panel report

RANCHI: The Jharkhand Chemists and Druggists Association (JCDA), on Friday took strong exception to the Maselkar Committee report, which has recommended capital punishment for those involved in trade of spurious drugs.
According to the association, the recommendations are impractical, as there is no mechanism to determine the safety of a drug. Once the recommendations are cleared by the Union cabinet, they will be implemented by enacting a law.
Addressing a Press conference here, JCDA spokesman said, companies authorised by the government to produce drugs, basically focuses on marketing and delegates the manufacturing part to small companies, which later sell the unsold stock through various means.
The association also said, spurious drugs are sold in the market through other channels such as hospitals, doctors and quacks, as the companies provide them drugs directly, while it come to the retailers through whole sellers and C&F, on proper bills.
It also said the report vests powers to the police, which would make it possible for them to arrest a drug-shop owner even on false charges of possessing spurious drugs.
Though, according to the Drugs and Cosmetic Acts, the Drug Control Authority should first investigate the spurious drugs and then prosecute.