Tabs on habit-forming drugs

BHUBANESWAR: To counter the growing abuse of cough syrups and sedatives, the state directorate of drugs control administration (DDCA) has decided to trail the drugs from medicine depots to retailers by codifying them batch-wise.
Disclosing this to TOI, drugs controller H K Mohapatra said the unique barcode will help trace the source of each such drug till the end-user through a standard operating procedure.The drugs depots and their ?carrying and forwarding (C&F)' agents will maintain three sale in-voice. The purchaser (wholesaler and retailer) will return duplicate of the invoice with his/her signature as acknowledgement of receiving stocks. "Matching of the records with the unique code will help know who sold how much sedatives," Mohapatra said.
The companies have to submit a quarterly report towards sale and distribution of such drugs to the local drugs inspectors through e-mail and hard copies. Suppliers of the intoxicating drugs to the state have to write ?for sale in Odisha' on the labels so that total volume of sale can be estimated easily.
The depots can sell such drugs only on a valid signed order of the licensee (for drug distribution). It would also be mandatory to have cautionary provisions on such drugs.
"Drug formulations containing Alprazolam, Codeine, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Pentazoeine and Nitrazepam have been identified for coding on a pilot basis. We had a meeting with the medicine depot representatives and C&F agents on Wednesday for implementation of the new system. They have sought some time. We will decide about an implementation date soon," the drugs controller said.
In case a medicine is recalled for its expiry or substandard quality, the chemists have to intimate the drugs controller.
Abuse of cough syrup is a major health concern for the state government. "The latest move will help estimate total volume of cough syrups and other such substances being abused," he said.
In recent months, DDCA has come across several incidents of the habit-forming drugs being abused.
On August 9, a DDCA squad found a chemist at Bargarh selling cough syrup to addicts. Over 200 bottles of the syrups were seized and the DDCA has initiated action against the chemist.
Similar crackdown by DDCA found drugs abuse in Sonepur (June 23), Balangir (June 3) and Choudwar (March 25), among other places.