JAMMU: Unannounced inspections of drug sale establishments were conducted under the supervision of certain empowered authorities as part of a special drive in the Jammu Province. The goal of the initiative was to make sure that pharmacies rigorously complied with the law’s requirements for operation and operated in the best interests of patient care, and that pharmaceuticals with habit-forming substances were only sold to patients in need. Nearly 200 formulations of legal drugs from different categories were randomly selected for strength and purity testing.These samples were sent to Drug Testing Laboratories in the U.T. of J&K for the purpose of establishing their quality standards and ensuring that high-quality medications are being marketed to consumers. Twelve retail sale establishments—four in Jammu, three in Samba District, two in Poonch District, and one each in Kathua and Ramban—had their operations immediately prohibited under section 22(d) of the 1940 Drugs & Cosmetics Act.The grounds for suspension included impersonation, improper storage conditions, lack of maintenance of sales records, etc. Additionally, under section 23 of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, the organization’s regulatory officers have removed from the supply chain stocks of drugs worth Rs 3,86,100 that were discovered to be in violation of the D&C Act’s rules. On Form 16, drugs worth Rs 27,465 were taken during the abovementioned drive from an unauthorised store operating in Lower Kud, whose custody and authorization were acquired from the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Udhampur. The matter is under investigation, and the accused has been provided with a notice under section 18(a) for future legal action. The grounds for suspension included impersonation, improper storage conditions, lack of maintenance of sales records, etc. Additionally, under section 23 of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, the organization’s regulatory officers have removed from the supply chain stocks of drugs worth Rs 3,86,100 that were discovered to be in violation of the D&C Act’s rules. On Form 16, drugs worth Rs 27,465 were taken during the abovementioned drive from an unauthorised store operating in Lower Kud, whose custody and authorization were acquired from the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Udhampur. The matter is under investigation, and the accused has been provided with a notice under section 18(a) for future legal action. A Wholesale company in Rajouri had its licence revoked by the Licencing Authority because it was discovered to be engaging in unethical business practises.
