While there is allegation that Uttar Pradesh is struggling to meet the demand for essential drugs falling under NLEM, the Uttar Pradesh Chemists & Distributors Association (UPCDA), an affiliate of AICDF, has made a complaint against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for deliberately withholding supply of essential medicines to the stockists causing shortage of GSK products in the state.

The UPCDA president Vibha Sankar Singh said that he has written to the company to start supply of their products, else the association will move the court citing violation of Essential Commodities Act. The association has also apprised the chairman of the NPPA and the DCGI of the situation currently prevailing in the state. The shortage of Glaxo products was started in UP three months ago.

While, the distribution head of GSK, Sandeep Kumar admitted to Pharmabiz that there is non-availability of Glaxo products in Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, A L Arya, the state drugs controller has told Pharmabiz over telephone that there is no shortage of essential medicines in UP and all medicines are available. He said there are two associations of traders in the state and internal struggles are going on in between them, hence one group is intentionally propagating false allegations of shortages.

“There is no shortage of any kind of drug in the state of UP an all essential drugs are available everywhere. I have given strict instruction to all the drug inspectors to monitor the availability and check any shortage, and I am getting no report of scarcity of medicines from anywhere. If any shortage is there for any essential medicine, it will be addressed soon,” Arya said.

When asked whether the products of GSK are available, the DC said all their products are available in UP. But, the UPCDA president informed Pharmabiz on Thursday (November 21) that following complaints from the Chemists & Distributors Association sleuths of the UP Food and Drug Administration have started raids at wholesalers’ premises in Ghaziabad and several other parts of the state and seized drugs stocked in the godowns. According to him, the pharmaceutical companies, especially Glaxo, is ignoring the letters sent to them by the association members.

When contacted Deepak Sharma, the drug inspector at Ghaziabad, he said the raid is going on the second day also, but it is conducted for another complaints with regard to records. He said all the drugs are available in UP.

VS Singh said the association will be forced to file suits in the court against Glaxo, its C&F agents and distributors under essential commodities act. Last Month the association contacted companies like Cipla, FDC Ltd, GSK in Mumbai, Torrent Pharma in Ahmedabad, Apex Lab in Tamil Nadu and Mankind Pharmaceuticals in New Delhi demanding supply of essential drugs to their members. He said, despite several requests, GSK is not cooperating with the traders in UP.

UPCDA has reminded the company that the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has given strict instructions to the manufacturing and trading companies against withholding of drugs from sale without sufficient reasons. The state drug controller has also issued circulars to the manufacturers in this regard. But, Singh said the major manufacturing companies are obviously ignoring the orders of the authorities and following the advice of a national trade body leader.