In a major move aimed at modernising and adopting more advanced techniques to detect not of standard quality (NSQ) drugs across the country, the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) is contemplating to develop mobile drug testing labs, in lines with that of Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA). To understand this project, a team of experts from the Regional Drugs Testing Laboratory (RDTL), headed by its director Dr R A Singh along with deputy drugs controller Arvind Kukrety recently visited the Gujarat FDCA’s office.

The main aim behind this visit was to gauge and study the modalities and other technical aspects associated with developing this high tech mobile drug-testing lab, capable of detecting NSQ and counterfeit drugs on the go. They analaysed and explored all the facets like estimated investment, lab equipment’s required for the same, modus operndi for running it successfully across varied geographical locations, training regimen that the drug inspectors have to undergo etc. for adopting this country-wide.

Incidentally, Gujarat is the first state in the country to have its own mobile drug-testing lab at the investment of Rs. 1 crore to ensure prompt and effective test results of the samples collected from remotest areas of the state.

Dr H G Koshia, commissioner of Gujarat FDCA informed that this is a huge recognition for the commitment of the state drug licensing authorities in ensuring measures to safeguard the interest of the patients. “All said and done, this was equally a great learning experience for us, as experts from the Centre had an opportunity to examine the whole process involved and share their insights on the same. Their suggestions and observations made to further improve and upgrade the system has also been noted which duly will be taken into action soon,” Dr Koshia added.

This mobile drug testing lab has an in-built library consisting of resources of up to 1000 molecules of pharmaceutical APIs as accepted under the Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP), United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) and British Pharmacopoeia (BP) standards. The lab is equipped with near infrared spectrophotometer, X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, ion mobility spectrometer and the Raman spectrophotometer. Interestingly, it has the ability to detect and give the test results based on the information pre–saved into its system within 25 seconds, that too without damaging the samples in any way.

It is understood that this mobile testing lab can detect 150 plus samples in a day to help detect drugs, even from the remote and border laying areas of the state, which till now had been very difficult and challenging to get through for the regulators due varied reasons. Currently, the state has one mobile drug-testing lab and two food-testing labs, while serious thought is also being given to further expand and develop more mobile drug testing labs in the state.