Even as hectic activities are going on in the Union Health Ministry to establish a Central Drug Authority (CDA) on the lines of US FDA to regulate the drug administration in the country, senior drug officials are of the view that states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka where drug administration is relatively strong should be kept out of the purview of the proposed CDA.

Senior officials in these states said that no meaningful purpose can be served by bringing these states under the proposed CDA as the drug administration systems are already working well in these states. The infrastructure in the drug administration in these states is so good that they can take care of all eventualities. "Instead of bringing all states under the CDA, the Health Ministry should concentrate on weaker states like Bihar, UP, Orissa, etc where there is urgent need to strengthen the infrastructure in the drug administration field", a senior official said.

Giving example of Maharashtra drug administration, he said the drug administration in Maharashtra is doing exemplary works. All the blood banks in the state are of international quality and there are seven licensing authorities spread over the state. "As it is working well what is the need of bringing it under CDA. It will only create confusion. In fact, the CDA in the first phase should concentrate on other weaker states", the official said.

Meanwhile, the All India Drug Control Officers Confederation (AIDCOC), an organisation of officers of state drug control departments, is opposing the establishment of CDA on the plea that it will not serve any meaningful purpose.

AIDCOC had demanded that the government should overhaul the current drug control machinery by implementing the suggestions put forward in various committee reports from the Hathi Committee report of 1975 to Mashelkar Committee report of 2003, before implementing a totally different system. Though Dr Mashelkar committee has endorsed centralisation, it is doubtful that to what extend such process would bring in functional uniformity.

Even if a central authority is formed it should be a replacement to the CDSCO rather than an additional arm to CDSCO. Simultaneously, independent drugs control organisations headed by the commissioner of drugs safety should be established at state level with necessary infrastructure, monetary allocation and human resource as recommended by Dr Mashelkar Committee.