Upset over the allegations against the pharmacy trade regarding the sale of spurious drugs, the All India Chemists and Distributors Federation (AICDF) has submitted a memorandum to the Union government stating that the proposed amendments to the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules with regard to the inclusion of chemists as accused in the spurious drugs sales should be withdrawn.

The Federation has stated that a trader in no way connects with the manufacturers and is merely acting as a mediator between the manufacturers and the medical practitioners to sell the drugs which can be made available to the patients.

“We are only engaged in the sale of packed medicine. Therefore, we strongly condemn the reports on the spurious drugs sale in the country as the same is being spread by some multinational companies with a clear intention to malign the Indian manufacturer’s entry into the global market,” MJ Ravindera, general secretary, Karnataka Chemists and Distributors Association and joint secretary, Al India Chemists and Distributors Federation told Pharmabiz.

“In a five point charter submitted to the Union government recently we have also insisted on the need to take stringent measures against those manufacturers who indulge in unhealthy trade practices. In fact, this results in the stoppage of supplies by the manufacturer creating an artificial scarcity of drugs in the market. There is need to take appropriate steps against the those who try to regulate and monopolize the pharmaceutical segment and to grab the benefits out of it by entering into unethical understanding with some companies,” added Ravindera.

Further, AICDF memorandum to the Union government has also called for abolition of all the taxes on life saving drugs to bring down the prices. It has demanded to minimize the proposed Goods Sales Tax (GST) and exempt all the small chemists from its purview as it detrimental to the business.

The Federation has called to include all the latest and advanced drugs under the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO) and bring down the MRP drastically so as to enable the common man to afford its prices.

Other demands are to fix a uniform trade margin on medicines irrespective of its category for the benefit of trade and public and also to avoid exploitation in the field. It has asked to amend the DPCO and the Drugs & Cosmetics Act & Rules to suit the changes and include specific clauses for minor and major offences.