Confusion over plastic ban irks pharmaceutical firms in Solan

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, May 5

With the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare failing to take any decision on banning the use of plastic containers for primary packaging of drug formulations seven months after its draft notification, confusion continues to prevail in the pharmaceutical industry over the issue.

The state’s industrial hub of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh, which accounts for nearly 350 drug firms, was awaiting the final decision on the issue ever since its draft notification was published by the ministry on September 29 last year, asserting the government’s intention to discontinue the use of plastic bottles and replace those with glass bottles.

The manner in which the issue had been handled without being resolved despite a lapse of seven months reflected poorly on the Prime Minister’s ease of business initiative where efforts were being made to cut down on red tape, opined Arun Kumar, a pharmaceutical investor in Baddi.

Interestingly, in a recent reply filed by the Minister for Health and Family Welfare in Parliament over this issue, it was stated that the ministry had received 292 representations over the issue. Only four representations were in favour of using glass as primary packaging material.

Since no scientific evidence was available on plastic bottles causing any adverse effect on the health of an individual, the ministry had decided to constitute a steering committee to study the matter.

SL Singla, president, Himachal Drug Manufacturers Association (HDMA), a conglomerate of over 350 drug firms of Himachal Pradesh, said the issue should be decided at the earliest as the industry was in favour of using plastic, which had no scientifically proven adverse effect on health, as was being alleged.

With the annual requirement of glass bottles touching nearly 250 crore nationally, the move to use glass would create scarcity of bottles for the pharmaceutical industry and lead to undue hassles to exporters as plastic was approved as packaging material in several countries, added Singla.

Sanjay Guleria, adviser, HDMA, asserted the need for an early decision. He said glass manufacturers could cater to between 25 and 40 per cent of the industry and it would push up prices of pharmaceutical products as the manufacturing cost would include excess costs like breakage involved in transporting products.

A section of NGOs had alleged that the use of plastic in liquid formulations was harmful to human health due to leaching of heavy metals and presence of endocrine disruptors, colours and formaldehyde.

Following this claim the ministry had issued a draft notification in September last year and sought objections and suggestions over this issue within 45 days.

Various pharmaceutical manufactures had engaged renowned firms engaged in conducting studies on industrial processes to support their claim. Scientific data was submitted to the ministry by the investors.