A crisis of availability of some of the essential drugs looms large in the state of Kerala, due to the boycott call given by the rival faction of the All Kerala Chemists and Druggists Association (AKCDA) to the stockists of German Remedies.


The state is going to face severe shortage of essential medicines very soon, and it is high time the government interfered in the matter, said M Ramachandran, Kerala regional manager of the company.


The stockists who have distanced from all dealings with the company two weeks ago are now running short of certain drugs used in emergency times, and those products are the branded items of the company, it is learnt.


Deriphyllin, a drug used for treating and preventing lung disease, Happi, which is in tablet and injection form, is given for ulcer patients, Vuscopan a drug used for reducing stomach pain after delivery, and Proluton which is prescribed for pregnant women on emergencies like abortion are branded products of German Remedies. The manager said these drugs will not be available anywhere in the state after another 10 days.


The situation has worsened in such a level forcing the official group to complain against this to the authorities requesting government intervention even as the company itself has sent an emissary for talk with the rival group to avert a crisis.
There was huge supply of these medicines which were distributed all over Kerala through 60 stockists, but majority of them are not sending orders for the last two weeks because of the boycott call by the rival faction of AKCDA. If the boycott call is not withdrawn immediately, the situation will be worsened and the patients who are taking these drugs for a long time cannot replace them with other drugs, the manager said.


From the sale of these four drugs, the company was earning a turnover of more than Rs.3 crores every month. Out of the 60 stockists, 50 are following the dictats of Antony Tharian, the manager said. When asked whether Variety Medicals, the newly appointed stockist in Palakkad, have produced any NOC from the traders’ organisation, Ramachandran said the appointment was done on submission of a certificate from AKCDA led by AN Mohan as it was recognized by the court recently.


Taking stock of the situation, the president of the AKCDA, AN Mohan has written a letter to the state drugs controller to take immediate action legally. According to him, the rival faction has given the boycott order because the company has appointed the new stockist in Palakkad district without considering the rival group.


Ramachandran told Pharmabiz that he was called to Kozhikode by one trader supporting Antony Tharian and demanded a huge sum as ransom to withdraw the boycott call. He said this was the first experience of unethical trade practice he felt in his professional life from the traders’ community and immediately he informed the incident to his superiors in the company in Mumbai.