NEW DELHI: In a big crackdown on pharmaceutical companies that sell substandard or spurious products drugsTHE Center it canceled the licenses of 18 companies across the country, health ministry sources said on Tuesday.
These companies were found to be in violation of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and, according to sources, in some cases the drug samples they produced were fake or of non-standard quality, leading to government action.
The crackdown comes on the heels of two recent incidents reported by Uzbekistan and The Gambia where medical products exported by two Indian firms to the two countries were alleged to contain certain contaminants which led to adverse reactions and the deaths of some patients.
The sources said a joint inspection was being carried out in 20 states across the country by the Central Drug Standards Control Organization (CDSCO) and the state drug control administration.
“We have identified 203 drug manufacturing units for potential GMP violation. In Phase I of the nationwide crackdown, action has been taken against 76 units,” said a health ministry official.
These companies were found to be in violation of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and, according to sources, in some cases the drug samples they produced were fake or of non-standard quality, leading to government action.
The crackdown comes on the heels of two recent incidents reported by Uzbekistan and The Gambia where medical products exported by two Indian firms to the two countries were alleged to contain certain contaminants which led to adverse reactions and the deaths of some patients.
The sources said a joint inspection was being carried out in 20 states across the country by the Central Drug Standards Control Organization (CDSCO) and the state drug control administration.
“We have identified 203 drug manufacturing units for potential GMP violation. In Phase I of the nationwide crackdown, action has been taken against 76 units,” said a health ministry official.
