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In the last fiscal ended on March 31 (2015-16), the Department of Drugs Control in Tamil Nadu prosecuted 460 drug traders and manufacturers for violating various provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. In 2014-15 the number was only 214.
The department officials all over the state seized drugs worth Rs.25 lakhs, largest quantity in the last 50 years, from traders in the last financial year. The number of prosecution cases is increasing every year, said M Abdul Khader, director of the department.
Explaining the action taken report of the previous year, one by one, he said the major violators are the wholesalers, next only comes the retail community. Giving clean chit to manufacturers, he said, as far as manufacturing companies are concerned, very few companies in Tamil Nadu have violated D&C Rules.
The number of total prosecution cases filed in 2015-16 was 460. About 70 sale licences of retailers and wholesalers were suspended for various violations during these 12 months period. From 2012 to April 2016, every year an amount of Rs.20 lakhs and above are imposed by various courts as fines to the violators.
He said traders’ violations include mostly for selling drugs without full-time pharmacists, selling drugs without prescriptions/receipts, selling sub-standard drugs, maintenance of no records etc.
In May last 2015, the department received the prestigious award, ‘State with Best Enforcement of Drugs Laws’ by the New Delhi based national NGO, Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) India Initiative. The award is given to a state drugs control department for strict enforcement of D&C Act and Rules.
In January last year, following the spread of seasonal communicable diseases in various parts of the country, TN DCA formed 50 special squads of drug inspectors to conduct investigations and surprise raids in retail pharmacies to check whether the retail shops were selling the Schedule X drug, oseltamivir, without prescription. The state government appreciated this bold step initiated by the department and gave all support for strict law enforcement.
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