2-3% drugs declared substandard in JK each year; 59 identified in 2017 alone

Srinagar, July 11: Indicating that Jammu and Kashmir continues to be a market for substandard medicines, the Drugs and Food Control Organisation (D&FCO) declares dozens of medicines unsafe for human consumption every year.

In 2017, the D&FCO declared over 59 drug samples substandard in the state, subsequently prohibiting their sale and consumption.

These included a list of commonly-recommended drugs such as Etoxtan –MR, Mateef-O, Escobro and Trick-MR.

Samples of drugs like Ofloxacin and Orandzole, Cefiwok-XL-200 and Anprox could not pass the requisite-weight and IP-Disintegration tests.

Oxcin –Z, Amzole-DSR, and Amzole-D drugs were found to be misbranded.

August witnessed advisory against five drugs including UsPas-forte, Pantovik-40, Beselide-40, Beselde and Zoftax-Ocv, which were declared substandard by the DFCO.

The drugs were tested at the Drug Testing Laboratory in Srinagar, Combined Food and Drug Laboratory in Jammu, Regional Drug Testing Laboratory in Chandigarh and Central Drug Laboratory in Kolkata.

According to a data released by the State Health Department, nearly 49 substandard drugs were detected in the state in 2015 and 2016.

The organisation detected and seized 14 substandard drugs in 2016-17 and 35 in 2015-16.

In the past two years, it also found that 34 drugs in the state were either misbranded or having labeling errors.

Fifteen drugs were declared as misbranded in 2015-16 and 19 drugs in 2016-17.

An official at the DFCO claimed that almost two to three per cent drugs are declared substandard in the valley alone every year.

“Substandard drugs actually mean that a particular company has not maintained the standards (composition) in the drug, which company claims. It may differ as many are found not complying by the weightage,” he said.