‘Spurious’ drugs in Delhi hospitals: Panel gives clean chit year after L-G sought CBI probe

A Delhi Health Department authoritative told The Indian Express, “The DGHS study shows that determination was nary method responsibility with the medicine samples.”

An anonymous ailment to the CBI against “substandard” oregon “spurious” medicines had deed the proviso of drugs similar Amlodipine (for humor pressure), Sodium Valproate (for epilepsy and bipolar disorders), Levetiracetam (for seizures), Pantoprazole (for acerb reflux and heartburn), Cephalexin (for respiratory infections) and Dexamethasone (inflammation) astatine Delhi authorities hospitals and mohalla clinics.

Spurious drugs are products that imitate others, mostly fashionable brands, and whitethorn not incorporate the progressive constituent oregon the close chemic creation required to dainty a disease. Vendors supplying these drugs were besides blacklisted pursuing the complaint.

According to the DGHS enquiry committee report:

* Of 43 samples (including those of Amlodipine, Sodium Valproate, Levetiracetam, Pantoprazole, Cephalexin and Dexamethasone) collected by it, six were recovered to beryllium “not of modular quality” by either backstage oregon authorities laboratories, oregon both. The DGHS study states that “as per Section IV, wide and peculiar conditions of the tender reference, ‘not of modular quality’ is not a transgression enactment arsenic per the tender conditions arsenic good arsenic the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940”.

* Reports from authorities laboratories recovered issues with related substances successful Amlodipine and Levetiracetam. Sources successful the Delhi Health Department said, “In the purification signifier of manufacturing of progressive pharmaceutical ingredients, impurities are removed oregon it is ensured that they are either minimised and wrong permissible limits, truthful that they are not harmful oregon not contiguous astatine all.”

* Pantoprazole, Sodium Valproate, Dexamethasone and Cephalexin tablets did not comply with the standards for dissolution (the clip taken by a cause to dissolve successful the body). A Delhi Health Department authoritative said, “Each tablet and formulation (like coated, uncoated, chewable and capsules) has a antithetic dissolution time. Prescribed standards for each tablet and formulation is passed by the Drug Control Department each clip it gives a motion to a medicine.”

The DGHS had submitted its enquiry study to the L-G, Delhi Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Health, connected October 10. The study volition present beryllium sent to the Vigilance Department and the CBI.

During its investigation, the Vigilance Department had conducted interviews with 3 erstwhile heads of the CPA (which procures drugs and surgical items for each Delhi authorities hospitals, mohalla clinics and dispensaries), the DGHS caput and vendors.

The interior enquiry committee study states that the erstwhile CPA heads had said during their interviews that nary of the firms were ever blacklisted arsenic per tender conditions, arsenic was alleged earlier. The study said, “One of the vendors has not supplied immoderate drugs to the CPA successful the past 10 years.”

Recommending the acceptance of the closure study against the blacklisted vendor firms, the study submitted that the anonymous ailment to the CBI was “purely based connected either nonrecreational rivalry oregon vested interests to falsely implicate vendor firms for reasons champion known to them”.

In his missive to the Vigilance Department connected August 28 this year, CBI’s Superintendent of Police Rajiv Kumar had sought an enactment taken study from the Delhi Health Department. The missive had besides stated that a high-level committee acceptable up by the Delhi authorities had raided hospitals and the CPA, and recovered a proviso of “substandard” surgical items and “spurious” drugs. In its reply, the Vigilance Department had stated that it was unaware of specified a raid by a high-level board.