JAMMU: To ensure availability of genuine and quality medicines/medical products for the end-users/patients, a special drive is being carried out regularly in Jammu Province under the supervision of Concerned Empowered Authorities. The drive is being conducted under the overall supervision of Mohammad Iqbal Palla, Deputy Drugs Controller, Jammu. The main objective of the drive is to ensure availability of quality medicines and to curb the unethical sale of medicinal formulations prone to cause intoxication. During the drive, Operations of Twenty Seven Drug Sale Establishments (Eighteen in Jammu ( Retail/Wholesale) , Two each in Udhampur, Reasi & Rajouri Districts , One each in Doda, Kathua & Kishtwar) were disallowed for indulging in violation of the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Act,1940 & rules there-under. The licenses were subsequently suspended and the defaulters have been warned to desist from any malpractices. Statutory Drug samples of nearly One Hundred Fifty formulations of various categories in particular lesser known and fast moving brands were lifted randomly for determination of strength, purity and other quality parameters. These samples have been referred to Drug Testing Laboratories located for framing of legal opinion w.r.t quality parameters. Awareness/Sensitization Programs were initiated involving the youth and other stake-holders in different areas in coordination with the Officers of District Administration to propagate awareness regarding the menace of substance abuse and its dangerous ill-effects. Accused facing trial under different sections of Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 in Six Court cases have been penalized by the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jammu where a penalty of more than Rs 8.00 Lakh has been imposed on the accused along with imprisonment (TRC) in some cases. Recently, Licensing Authorities (Wholesale & Retail) of Jammu Province have cancelled more than Hundred non-operative/non-existing Drugs Sale Licenses to avoid their misuse by nefarious elements. Moreover, Stocks of Drugs worth Rs 19,000 that were found to be contravening the provisions of the D&C Act have also been confiscated from the supply chain by the Regulatory Officers of the organization. Smt Lotika Khajuria, State Drugs Controller, J&K has once again impressed upon the Pharma fraternity to strictly adhere to the conditions of licenses and desist from any unlawful activity. The Empowered Drug Control Authorities have been impressed upon to ensure the installation of CCTV Cameras and impress upon Chemists to adopt computerized system of billing for maintenance of records in larger.
