The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has once again directed the chemists in the state to comply with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to avoid facing any action from the FDA.

Maharashtra FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade, who held a meeting on the issue recently, appealed to the chemists to comply with Schedule H1 also and ensure that a pharmacist is present in the medical store full time along with compliance to billing requirements for the sake of patient safety.

Over 600 owner-chemists and pharmacists from Bandra to Dahisar in the city attended the meeting chaired by the FDA commissioner. The FDA also sensitised the chemists and pharmacists on Model Prescription Format and Schedule H1.  

“Presence of pharmacist is essential during full working hours of the shop. Every medical shop owner should know the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act and should strictly follow it. Besides this, sales and purchases records have to be maintained specially for Schedule H1,” Zagade explained in the meeting.

He further assured the chemists that if business is done within the legal framework, chemists will not face any action from the FDA. Reiterating his point, he explained that community pharmacy is not a business but a service to the public and hence giving discount to customer is legal and feasible for the pharmacist and patient.

It was concluded during the meet that retailers can directly buy pharma products from the manufacturers and any trade association which misuses its strength to further their own interest will be severely dealt with as per the law of the land. FDA and retailers complement each other and therefore they should work in tandem for the interest of the patient.

Besides this, model prescription format for doctors should be implemented, and mentioning serial number of prescription on bill invoice will go a long way in offering transparency and accountability to the profession.