Following notification of 5 National Institute of Biologicals (NIB) labs as central drug testing labs, the Union health ministry has notified 5 NIB scientists as government analysts for a specified class of drugs through a notification in exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section(2) of section 20 of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940.

NIB scientists notified as government analysts are Kanchan Ahuja, Dr Reba Chhabra, Dr J P Prasad, Dr Renu Jain and Ajanta Sircar.

The class of drugs includes blood grouping reagents, human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis C virus, human albumin, human normal immunoglobulin, human coagulation factor VIII and human coagulation factor IX, plasma protein fraction, fibrin sealant kit and anti-inhibitor coagulation complex, recombinant insulin and insulin analogues, r-Erythroprotein (EPO) and r-Granulocyte stimulating factor (G-CSF). The class of drugs also includes glucose test strips and fully automated analyser based glucose reagents.

It will be a big boost to the analysis and quality control of majority of the imported drugs available in Indian market and also those manufactured within the country.

The health ministry has also recently recruited around 31 assistant drug inspectors at Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and sanctioned another 470 technical staff posts as a part of manpower upgradation programme. An amount of Rs. 1,750 crore was sanctioned for upgradation of manpower at the CDSCO and state level. As a part of the plan, drug testing infrastructure in the country will also be upgraded.

Around 80 drug inspectors were recruited at the CDSCO last year as a part of the process. While state drug control departments have been allocated Rs. 850 crore, CDSCO has been allocated Rs. 900 crore for enhancing manpower and capacities of minilabs at port offices and mobile labs. A total of additional 1195 posts were sanctioned for the upgradation of manpower and labs under the 12th Five Year Plan, as per official sources.