Food Safety and Drug Administration Uttar Pradesh (UPFDA) has registered 26 FIRs and arrested 36 people for non-compliance to Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Drugs worth over 27 lakhs have been seized, which included physician samples, narcotic drugs and habit forming drugs.
A total of 33 FIRs and 51 arrests had been made during the year 2013- 14 and drugs worth over 29 lakhs were seized. A total of 76 arrests and 70 FIRs were filed during the previous year and drugs worth of over Rs. 82 lakh was seized.
The offenders have also been booked under sections 274, 275, 276, 419, 420 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 18 and 27 of Drugs & Cosmetics Act.
Pinpointing on the rampant misuse of Schedule X drugs, an official says, "Narcotic and Psychotropic substances are covered under Schedule H of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and Rules thereunder, except the 15 covered under Schedule X, the effective monitoring of these products is tedious and time consuming. This has led to more manufacturers marketing their products containing Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic substances resulting in more availability of the products and hence of more misuse and abuse."
Schedule X comprises of 15 Drugs currently as compared to 17 earlier. meprobamate, methylphenidate and amphetamine are some of the drugs which can be misused. Schedule H of the drug and cosmetics act contains a list of 536 drugs which are required to be dispensed on the prescriptions of a registered medical practitioner.
In order to have separate regulation to check unauthorised sale of antibiotics, a separate schedule as Schedule H1 has also been introduced under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules to regulate sale of 46 drugs exclusively. This according to regulators need to be strictly enforced through upgradation of manpower.
Drugs covered under Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 are also included in Schedule H of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act like alprazolam, chlordiazepoxide and clobazam which are habit forming drugs.
According to a senior FDA official, "Regulations impart a stringent control over products covered under Schedule X with respect to those covered under Schedule H for purchase, stocking, distribution and sale criteria. This directly implies a more rigid accountability in the supply chain of drugs covered under Schedule X with a focus to prevent and control abuse of the products."
The drug regulatory mechanism in the country as a whole has an uphill task for proper regulatory enforcement considering the fact that abuse of drugs covered under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 is on the rise due to various socio-economic factors.