With an aim to strengthen the law enforcement system and to improve the overall functioning of its offices, the Ayush department in Andhra Pradesh has requested the state government to create a post of drug controller exclusively for ISM department. Currently, even though the department is functioning under a commissioner, it has no drug controller separately.

A proposal seeking government’s decision in this regard was forwarded to the government in last month, a senior officer in the department told Pharmabiz.

Besides creation of a controlling authority, the proposal which was submitted by the state ISM commissioner contains several constructive suggestions for strengthening of the department including recruitment of new drug inspectors. Sources said in the Ayush department, the drug inspectors are in the rank of medical officers, and both the posts are filled from BAM graduates. Presently, the department is in a poor state with having only three drug inspectors throughout the state. Andhra has 23 districts covering Telengana and Rayalaseema regions.

While speaking to this reporter, Dr V L N Sastry, additional director and state licensing authority in the department said as of now no post has been created in the department as drugs controller, but the duty is carried out by him only. “We need a special post of drugs controller. There are qualified and experienced medical officers in the department to be posted in the place. In our proposal we included a special post of controlling authority and hope that it will be realized soon”, he said.

When asked how the existing number of three drug inspectors can manage all the manufacturing units in the state, Sastry said there are problems due to shortage of inspectors, hence improvement is required. Now all the three drug inspectors are carrying out their duties sitting in the Hyderabad head quarter office only. When a question was put to one of the drug inspectors that how could he able to conduct inspection in the companies and drug stores in far off places, he said everything was being carried out smoothly with the help of other departments.

According to information received from the department, more than 550 manufacturing units having GMP facilities are functioning in the state. Several of the units export their products to other countries including Europe.

Later when this reporter contacted some Ayurveda manufacturers, they said the condition of ISM industry in the state is deplorable and immediate attention of the government is required to revamp the department. The office-bearers of the newly floated Confederation of Ayurvedic Industries in AP (CAI) said soon they would approach the government seeking more support for the industry’s development. They alleged that the government had no confidence in the manufacturing units working in the state as it did not purchase any product from the local market for the supply of government hospitals.

The industry people have complained that the government testing lab is not functioning. According to them there is no expert technical staff to run the show. All the manufacturers are getting raw drugs from other states, and the state is experiencing non-availability of certified medicines.  Even the NMPB also acts as a mute spectator towards the ISM industry in the state. It has not any data of medicines, CAI leaders alleged.

When these issues were raised before the additional director who is acting as the drugs controller, he said government has a policy to purchase medicines which is followed in the state. Further he said there are several ayurvedic manufacturers’ organisations in AP and the allegations are raised because of groupism among them. But he agreed that there was inadequacy of technical experts in the testing lab.

When this reporter met some leading marketers and ayurvedic doctors, they said there is no timely inspection or checking either in the company or in the trade shop. All inspections are held only for issuing the licenses, afterwards nobody cares the industry. “Whether the drug is spurious or substandard or adulterated, nobody is going to look into. The manufacturers have no complaints, the traders have no complaints, and the regulatory officials have no complaints. Everybody says everything goes smoothly, so all are happy”, a pharmacist-cum-trader said.