The newly formed Telangana drug control administration (TSDCA) has launched its new website offering online services to pharmacists and pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in the state.

With this launch of online services, now pharmacists and pharmaceutical manufacturers can obtain licenses and manufacturing approvals by submitting their information online and can get permission from TSDCA on a time bound manner. This will also resolve problems faced by pharmacists and manufacturers like unreasonable delays, lack of transparency and corrupt practices by the authorities.

While launching the website, Dr Laxma Reddy, minister for medical, health and family welfare, said that pharmaceutical industry and pharmacists in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh suffered a lot. Now the Telangana government wants to create a conducive and encouraging environment for the industrial sector and build up the confidence among the investors, through transparent and accountable governance. For this, the state government is keenly looking at utilizing the information technology services in every sphere of its governance.

 “Government of Telangana has designed a new industrial policy called TS-iPass. As part of this, we want to provide speedier and time bound industrial approvals. Similarly, as part of our healthcare policy we want to be more transparent and accountable. The Telangana drug control administration will definitely help resolve all the problems of pharmacists and I wish the TSDCA will function more efficiently and serve the state by implementing the drugs and cosmetic act in letter and spirit and ensure a safer and healthier Telangana,” said the Minister.

The newly launched website ‘www.dca.telangan.gov.in’ not only provides online licensing services to pharmacists, but it will also regularly update the activities of drug control administration from time to time.

According to sources at the DCA, the authorities from both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have conducted 247 seizers of spurious drugs and drugs worth Rs.608.63 lakhs have been seized from the manufacturers during the past 3 years since 2012 to 2015.

Since 2012, the DCA authorities have conducted about 107429 inspections of pharmacies and suspended 7177 sales licenses among the pharmacists for violating the rules and regulations stipulated by the pharmacy act.

Similarly the DCA has cancelled 50 manufacturing licenses and issued 19 stop production orders to the pharmaceutical firms for violating the Drugs and Cosmetics Act during the past 3 years. So far, the authorities have inspected 762 blood banks in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and cancelled licenses to 3 blood banks and issued warning letters to 14 blood banks. About 41 blood banks have been issued suspension orders for violating the norms since the past two years.