As part of upgrading lab infrastructure in the state, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently operationalised a National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited drug testing lab in Nagpur.

The Centre had sanctioned Rs. 138 crore for strengthening drug regulatory system in the state. Funds to the tune of Rs. 17 crore were also allocated for the Nagpur project for strengthening labs and manpower. With this, Maharashtra will have a total of 3 testing labs at Mumbai, Aurangabad and Nagpur.

Delay in analysing not-of-standard and sub-standard drugs and preparing results of drug samples could be reduced considerably with the functioning of drug testing lab at Nagpur.

Maharashtra FDA is also in the process of setting up first of its kind microbiological testing lab at a cost of Rs. 4.5 crore at the Mumbai FDA headquarters.  

The Maharashtra FDA through its routine inspections last year have collected 2,760 drug samples and found 205 not-of-standard quality (NSQ) drugs in the state. Out of the samples collected, 317 samples drawn were of cosmetic products.

Complete drug recall of NSQ drugs is the major objective of the inspections conducted across the manufacturing units, retail supply chain and wholesalers.

Union health ministry is also in the process of setting up three of the eight mini drug testing labs at Nhava Sheva at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Navi Mumbai,  Ahmedabad Airport and in Mumbai Airport to control exports and imports of spurious drugs.

According to the plan, labs will be equipped with advanced analytical modalities like AAS, GC, HPLC, IR and NIRS among others for effective detection, analysis and reporting on drug quality.

Estimated to cost around Rs. 25 crore for which funds have already been sanctioned, the mini-labs will be manned by a team of nine technical personnel led by a senior scientific officer. Health ministry plan includes setting up of mini-drug testing labs at Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi and Chennai.

Government is also planning to expand Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) capacity by 2020 by adding a total of 20 mini drug-testing labs at the port offices of the drug regulator.