The Karnataka drug’s control department is of view that a feasibility study should be done to implement the guideline of enforcing air conditioners in chemist shops as a compulsory requirement for issuing new trade licenses. Several states in India like Andhra Pradesh, Maharastra and Gujarat have already adopted a decision to issue trade license to chemist shops only if they have air conditioning in the premises.

Dr. Suresh Kunhi Muhammed, drugs controller, government of Karnataka stated that it was not possible to blindly accept the fact that trade outlets across Karnataka needed air conditioners and warmers for grant of new licenses. What is applicable in other states cannot be adopted in Karnataka because it does not experience uniform hot or cold temperature conditions right through the state, he added.

Even if the distribution chain calls for optimum temperature, the Guidelines Committee for Grant of New Licenses that includes members from the drugs control department and representatives from the trade associations has been asked to study the feasibility of the air conditioners or warmers for the districts in Karnataka and to ascertain whether it could apply only for certain regions or the entire state, informed Dr. Muhammed.

Although the drugs controller wants his department to be the best in the country in terms of quality and efficiency, he is also keen to see that Karnataka adopts an exceptional model guideline and therefore does not intend to execute matters in haste.

Meanwhile the Committee is currently assessing the guidelines followed by Kerala and Maharashtra. It is looking at population and geographical aspects of the State to recommend distribution of chemists and druggists outlets mainly because of an uneven spread in many urban areas. A statistical presentation of trade outlets and population spread will be provided. The study will cover the ward-wise distribution of population and drug stores in the cities where it has reached a saturation point unlike the rural areas.

During a rigorous analysis of unethical practises by the trade dealers, it was gathered that if more drugs stores spring up in one area then those outlets would lose out on profits and get into unscrupulous dealings like sale of spurious, counterfeit, date expired and physician sample drugs. In its third meeting scheduled for later this month to discuss the final draft of the guideline, it will ensure its implementation in the first week of November.