Punjab News/Drug officials asked to regularly scrutinise records of C&F agents to check misuse of habit forming drugs

Chandigarh, November 22, 2013: A meeting of officials of food and drug administration of Punjab was held here today under the chairmanship of Hussan Lal, Commissioner Food and Drug Administration, Punjab.
The meeting was attended by Ajay Singla State Drug Controlling & Licencing Authority, Pardeep Kumar and Bhag Singh, Additional State Drug Controlling and licensing Authority, Punjab and the District Drug Inspectors of all districts of Punjab.  
During the meeting, Hussan Lal reviewed the performance of the drug control wing in terms of no. of licenses issued, no. of retail and wholesale licences suspended, number of licences cancelled, drug seizures of illegal and other habit forming drugs. The performance of the Assistant Drugs Controllers, Zonal Licensing Authorities and Drugs Inspectors was reviewed for the last 3 months.
The Commissioner directed the drug control officials to direct all C&F agents to supply data of all habit forming drugs being supplied to various dealers in Punjab every month and then each drug inspector shall check the data to ensure that the drugs are actually supplied to the licence holder only. This step will weed out bogus sales to dealers which results in these drugs falling into the hands of drug addicts. He asked the officers to also inspect their premises to ensure that drugs are being sold as per the norms and rules.  With an aim to keep a check on the sale of habit-forming-drugs, the drug inspectors were told to maintain adequate vigilance in their areas and carry intensive scanning of their areas and make sure that no unlicensed shops are being run there. It was further directed that action be taken against chemist's shop which are being run without qualified pharmacist. Sh. Hussan Lal also directed that all whole sale chemist shops, especially the ones being run in rural areas must be inspected from time to time. He added that since these shops are not manned by pharmacists it needs to be ensured from time to time that these were not indulging in retail business of medicines or any other unethical practice.  He asked the officials to check the stocks and records of these shops and incase any defaulters are detected, strict action must be pursued against them.
Hussan Lal informed that during August to October, 2013 a total of 326 licenses in the state had been suspended and  2 licenses cancelled in respect of contraventions of the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rule 1945. At present 567 cases are under trial in the various district courts against the infringers. Six cases have been decided in these 3 months by the various Courts, out of these 4 were convicted and 2 were declared as proclaimed offenders.