To address the issues related to drugs and other pharmaceutical products and also to ensure the quality of medicines manufactured and supplied, separate directorate of pharmacy (ED) should be established in each state under health departments.

Unless there is a proper set up with trained man power administration all the attempts to check the drug related issues will remain futile and the dangers posed by spurious drugs on public health will become uncontrollable, said Dr R S Thakur, president, federation of Indian pharmacists organisations (FIPO), New Delhi.

In a chat with Pharmabiz, he said lack of due importance to pharmacy services in healthcare management is the root cause of all the menace affecting the quality of drugs. FIPO has made a demand before the government of India to initiate steps to establish separate directorate for pharmacy in all the states through separate legislation.

“The first and foremost issue in relation to procurement and handling of drugs is that it cannot be treated as any other item of commerce or commodity of day to day use. Drugs are two edged weapon, which can both cure or kill. Right use of right drug in right dose at right time through right route of administration can save precious life, whereas, a substandard drug product, be it misbranded, adulterated or spurious, may not only fail in giving any relief to the patient but also toxic and lead to new complications. As long as this vital difference between drug and other commodities is not fully appreciated and pharmacists are not solely involved in all aspects relating to them, the menace of spurious and substandard drugs will continue to exist,” Dr Thakur commented.

According to him, the issues of quality of drugs emerged recently in various states including Jammu & Kashmir are specimens of it. He opines that as the doctor is expert in diagnosis and treatment of disease, so is pharmacist expert in checking and maintaining the quality of drugs. All over the world, it is the pharmacy course that trains in analysis, testing of drugs, preservation of potency and maintaining quality of medicines to ensure efficacy of therapy and safety from toxicities. Ironically, in India Pharmacy services is put on back burner, he said.

Presently, in purchase planning, drug product selection and procurement, the pharmacists are not involved at all. Establishment of a directorate of pharmacy will solve these problems. On the lack of such a department, all technical aspects relating to ensuring the quality of drug before it is purchased for hospital supply or for storage, and the preservation of the procured items are ignored.

Dr Thakur suggested that pharmacists associations and drug control officers associations should make demands in their own states for the establishment of directorate of pharmacies. He further said his Organisation will soon take up the issue in the national level to attract the attention of the union government. Other problems being raised by FIPO are reorganisation of pharmacy services, establishment of pharmacy and therapeutics committee, preparation of hospital formulary for the states, establishment of pharmacovigilance wing to generate data of drug related problems in patients and set up of pharmacoeconomics committee for rationalizing medication cost and efficient utilization of hospital budget.