The sub-committee formed by the DCC on the spurious drugs issue may come up with some effective safeguards to curb possible abuses of the proposed legislation by drug control officials so as to ensure fair and transparent implementation of the same.

The panel, which met here recently, took note of the views of pharma associations and discussed the apprehensions raised by them. The panel may meet again soon to finalise the recommendations on setting up a safeguard mechanism and doing away with the discrepancies in the law, it is learnt.

The panel, apart from meeting the associations separately also discussed the problems at length among the members, sources said. The committee was set up to recommend the measures to combat the spurious drugs menace and suggest ways and means for coordination between the states for effective implementation of the provisions of the recently amended legislation which enhanced the penalty for offenders and made it a cognizable offence.

"It was definitely not an eye-wash as some expected. The committee looked positive and serious about the issues we raised. It is in the right direction. We hope that it would come out with some helpful measures to ensure safeguards while the new law would be implemented," said SPIC secretary general Jagadeep Singh after presenting his association's views to the panel.

The panel, chaired by deputy drug controller (south zone) D Roy, has assured the industry organisations to take steps to address their grievances. It is learnt that committee also stuck to the overall purpose of the new law in checking the spurious drug trade by targeting the habitual offenders and clandestine manufacturers, got the support of the associations in this regard.

The associations like IDMA, SPIC, FOPE and CIPI had informal interactions on the issue before presenting their views individually. All the major associations present stood united on the need to ensure transparency and avoiding harassment to the genuine manufacturers under the guise of the new law which can be misused by some drug inspectors.

Though the industry bodies are not part of the panel, they were invited formally to attend the meeting as desired by the DCGI in view of the apprehensions among the industry with regard to some clauses in the amended Drugs and Cosmetic Act, 2007. The members of the panel included D K Shringe (Drugs Controller, Rajasthan), M M Prasad (Drugs Controller, Jharkhand), Dr B R Jaga Shetty (Drugs Controller, Karnataka), Alok Shrivastva (Joint Drugs Controller, Madhya Pradesh), Devistno Swer (Asst Drugs Controller, Meghalaya), Deen Dayalan (Asst commissioner, Pondicherry) and the government analyst nominated by FDCA, Gujarat.