The Kerala State Drugs and Pharmaceuticals (KSDP) Ltd has denied the charge made by the managing director of Kerala State Medicinal Supply Corporation Ltd. that it has declared 11 drugs as not of standard quality out of a total of 39 supplied by KSDP this year.

Responding to the news item appeared in Pharmabiz, K B Jayakumar, the managing director of KSDP said the statement given by the MD of KMSCL is totally incorrect, misleading and damaging to the company.

Biju Prabhakar, the managing director of KMSCL had told Pharmabiz that the Corporation had declared 11 drugs supplied by the company as NSQ and blacklisted all those batches.

Refuting the statement, the KSDP-MD said if one sample of a batch of a particular drug does not meet the prescribed parameters, the general procedure is to recall the items of that particular batch and conduct investigation. It is not applicable to other batches of the drug. He said if the storage conditions at the users’ place are not properly maintained, there is chance for the drug to be affected.

Jayakumar said as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1948 (D&C Act) and the Rules there under, it is only the manufacturer who can recall and quarantine such items. KSDP has not received back any of the so called items alleged to be of NSQ and reported to be quarantined. KSDP is the only pharma company of the Government of Kerala manufacturing quality allopathic medicines, for the common man, he claimed.

“We have supplied medicines worth Rs.36 crore out of the Rs.37 crore for which orders were received. The supplies were hampered due to delayed payments made by KMSCL. During the period from January to March 2012, as against supplies of Rs.nine crore the payment received was only Rs.3.50 crore. Since KSDP has to make immediate payment for raw material supplies, the delay in payment for sales caused avoidable hardship to the company. Supplies could have been further expedited, had the KMSCL avoided undue payment delay,” the MD of the company said in his statement.

Regarding tender process, he said according to a government order, (GO (Ms) No154/2008/H&FWD dated 15.05.2008), medicines are to be supplied at agreed prices till 2013.

The question of participating in tender arises only after the expiry of the period prescribed in the government order.

While rebutting the claims of Biju Prabhakar that Amoxicillin Cap 500 mg (AB 1326) is NSQ, Jayakumar said the state drug control department has cleared the same batch to be of Standard Quality, (Order No QC/D/1/9/ KMSCL/2011-12 dt 14.05.2012). In the case of Omeprazole, the batches are under test by the competent authority and has not been declared as NSQ till this time, the MD of KSDP added.

He further said KSDP has been supplying a large variety of medicines to the government hospitals in the state for more than 30 years. During 2011-12 the company supplied 52 items valued at Rs.36 crore as against Rs.31crore in the previous year.