The Union Health Ministry's ambitious nationwide survey to get firsthand authentic report of the extent of counterfeit drugs in the country is learnt to have become a damp squib. As against the target of collecting 31,000 samples, it could collect only around 23,000 samples. The DCGI office, which is spearheading the survey, may continue the survey in the second phase to meet the target, sources said.

In the initial proposal, the ministry was to collect around 3 lakh samples and was to hire around 600 employees, preferably pharmacy graduates, on contract for the purpose. All these volunteers were to fan out to around 8,500 talukas of the country to collect samples. But, subsequently, the target was reduced to one lakh and finally at 31,000 and that too the government could not complete.

The much-delayed survey, which was the brainchild of former Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr M Venkateshwarlu, was originally to begin on December 1, 2007. But due to several reasons, including the department's preoccupation with the fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs issue, the launch was got delayed by almost one year.

According to sources, the DCGI office, asked its four zonal offices in south, west, east and north to collect 7750 drug samples each from different therapeutic categories and from five different strata of the country like metro cities, big cities, districts headquarters, talukas and villages. The entire work of collection of samples was given to NGOs. Different zones engaged different NGOs for the purpose.

But, all the four zones failed to draw the targeted 7750 samples. Only the east zone in West Bengal could reach near to the target with around 7000 samples, while the north zone in Ghaziabad collected only around 4500 samples. The south zone in Chennai colleted around 6000 drug samples, while the west zone in Mumbai could collect only around 5500 samples.

Samples of 62 popular drug brands from nine therapeutic categories were collected in the survey. They include anti-tuberculosis medications, anti-allergics, drugs to counter diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, anti-infective steroids, anti-malarials, NSAIDs, anti-histaminic and multi-vitamin preparations. The collected samples will be sent to the original manufacturers to verify whether the product is original or counterfeited. After verification, the doubtful products will be sent for further testing, sources said.

Though there are no two opinions about the prevalence of counterfeit drugs in the pharmaceutical market of the country, no authentic data on such products are available with the government. Different estimates speak differently of the depth and reach of the counterfeit drugs in the country. The ministry's survey will pinpoint on the amount of counterfeit drugs available in the market.

According to industry sources, counterfeit drug market runs into thousands of crores of rupees in the country. Counterfeit drugs are marketed with active support of the retail chemists as it is they who stock the counterfeit products and sell them for very high margins.