Come July, All Drug Exports Will Be Subject To Govt Surveillance.

NEW DELHI: India has made it mandatory for all pharmaceutical exporters to send their shipments under a trace and track surveillance system to prevent spurious drugs manufacturers in countries like China to pass off their medicines as Indian products.

The system would be made effective from July 1, 2011, the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification. A sizeable number of fake drugs seized in the other countries carry made in India label, but there is evidence that they could be actually made in other countries.

The Nigerian government had, last June, seized a large consignment of fake anti-malarial drugs labelled made in India but produced in China.

India demanded that China should take strict action against Chinese manufacturers of the spurious drugs whose names and addresses were clearly printed on the confiscated cartons.

It also took up the issue with the African drug regulatory authorities, as the incident had given a bad name to drug producers in India.

The Chinese government had conceded that the consignments had been sent from China and the exporters had been criminally prosecuted.

The trace and track surveillance system would enable consumers to track the movement of products up to their manufacturer and thereby establishing their originality, the release said.

This would be done at primary, secondary and tertiary levels of packaging labels following GS-1 global standards.

The commerce and industry ministry expects the system to be a deterrent against mischief done by exporters from other countries as well as unscrupulous exporters within the country, the release said.

Since the decision would be implemented after six months, the government expects the industry to be ready by the stipulated time and comply strictly with the given provisions, the release said. India exports medicine worth more than $ 9 billion annually. These are largely exported to the US , the European Union and Africa.

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com