OPPI, Health News, ET HealthWorld
New Delhi: Licenses of 18 pharma companies were canceled on the back of extensive inspections conducted by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). As part of this major inspection operation, around 203 pharmaceutical companies were identified. The inspection was conducted by a joint team of central and state regulators across 76 pharma companies in 20 states and UTs.
Majority of the companies were from Himachal Pradesh (70), followed by Uttarakhand (45) and Madhya Pradesh (23). The licenses were canceled based on the production of fake substances, adulterated substances and violations of good manufacturing practices (GMP). 26 companies have been issued with a notice of action.
Vivek Sehgal, Director General, Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI) issued a statement on the cancellation of licenses of 18 pharmaceutical companies, “Any violation of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) is a public health hazard. It is important to ensure that patients can access ground-breaking innovations while maintaining ethical guidelines and maintaining strict regulatory standards, which are critical to maintaining patient safety and trust.”
Of late, Indian drug manufacturers have been under the global scanner for manufacturing fake and adulterated drugs that have led to deaths and adverse health events in some countries.
Expressing his views on how OPPI members adhere to the highest standards of global codes of ethics, Sehgal said, “At OPPI, our strategy is to focus on ‘Bharat Ke Liye’ and our member companies have always strived to meet the needs of Indian patients. In line with this, we ensure that we adhere to the highest levels of global ethical codes and business practices, as well as the OPPI Code which is based on the Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) and the IFPMA Code of conduct.The ethical quotient of our member companies is extremely high and on par with global standards.”
To counter the issue of counterfeit drugs, OPPI emphasizes on making basic information about the drug available to patients, the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) has recommended introducing QR codes in drug products to help authenticate and track and trace these drugs throughout the supply chain. Such technology-supported solutions and forward-looking steps will help meet the challenge of drug quality.
“Consider the use of blockchain-based pharma solutions to ensure higher quality control across the value chain – suppliers, distributors, bottling and packaging and retail,” Sehgal said.
“As a research-based trade association, we remain committed to patient safety and building patient awareness. We will continue to work with government to discuss avenues for coherent approaches to building robust and resilient regulatory systems across the nation,” Sehgal concluded.
