Spurious medicine: ‘Stricter law promulgated for drug distribution’

GUJRANWALA:

Sohndra Tehsil Drug Inspector Muhammad Akram said on Friday that the government had amended through an ordinance the Drugs Act, 1976, enhancing punishments for producing or selling fake drugs and introducing a procedure of investigation into such cases.

He said the Punjab Drugs (Amendment) Ordinance 2015 had been promulgated to eradicate the menace of fake drugs through stricter penalties. He said under the ordinance, those selling medicines should have licences. He said only a pharmacist should be a licence-holder and proprietor. He said action would be taken against those operating medical stores against the licences issued to someone else.

The Punjab Drugs (Amendment) Ordinance

The ordinance provides for FIRs against those found selling spurious drugs. It also allows the government to file an appeal against the drug courts’ verdicts.

The ordinance says that if a person himself or through another person acting on his behalf exports, imports, manufactures or sells a spurious or sells drugs without a licence, he shall be punished with imprisonment up to 10 years and fined up to Rs5 million.

The ordinance specifies that the “foreign drug authority” refer to institutions recognised by the federal or the provincial government and unless specified otherwise, the Federal Drug Authority of the United States of America, European Drug Authority, Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency of the United Kingdom, Drug Authorities of Australia, Japan and Canada.

It prescribes a provincial quality control board with a specific area of jurisdiction.

The ordinance says that on registration of information of spurious drugs trade, the investigating office shall probe into the case jointly with a police inspector  authorised by the provincial government and submit a joint investigation report to the Provincial Quality Control Board for appropriate action.

If the sanction of prosecution is not accorded, the board may discharge the accused, cancel the case or recommend disciplinary action against the complainant drug inspector.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2015.