14 drugs made in Himachal Pradesh fail tests

SHIMLA: The quality of drugs manufactured in Himachal Pradesh has come under scanner once again with samples of 14 drugs failing the test conducted by Central Drugs Standards Control Organization (CDSCO) in June last. While CDSCO has issued an alert about the failed drugs, state authorities on their part have issued show cause notices to concerned companies and have asked them to withdraw the batches from the market.
Among the list of 41 drugs which failed the test, 14 were manufactured at Nalagarh, Baddi, Paonta Sahib, Kala Amb, Jharmajri and Sansarpur Terrace in Kangra. Himachal Pradesh caters to around 40% demand of domestic market. With around 650 manufacturing units, pharmaceutical industry of the state is pegged at around Rs 25,000 crore. The state also exports drugs worth Rs 9,000 crore each year, sources said.
After finding the drugs failing the test, CDSCO has issued safety alert about drugs manufactured in Himachal Pradesh which includes Tapentadol and Paracetamol tablets, Ofloxacin tablets, Amoxicillin and Dicloxacillin capsules, Misoprostol tablets, Amoxycillin and Potassium Clavulanate tablets, Salbutamol Sulphate tablets, Cefuroxime Axetil tablets, Megarab 20 tablets, Albendazole tablets, Cefixime dispersible tablets, Trypsin Chymotrypsin tablets, Ceftricor 1g, Ceftriaxone and Sulbactam for injection and Gencin 80mg/2ml injection.
According to sources, this is not the first time when drugs manufactured in Himachal Pradesh have failed the tests in other states. Sources said that in the past too, such instances were brought to the notice of state drugs authority, but despite this, samples were failing the quality tests outside.
Himachal Pradesh drug controller Navneet Marwaha said that companies whose samples have failed the tests conducted by CDSCO were issued show cause notices. "We have asked them to withdraw their batches. As samples have failed outside Himachal Pradesh, we could only take administrative action against the companies," he said.