Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration (UPFDA) is in the process of recruiting new drug inspectors following a Allahabad bench of High Court (HC) ruling. The ruling settles a long pending dispute related to the experience criteria to qualify as a drug inspector.

The disputed experience criteria as stipulated in Section 21 of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 states that a drug inspector should have 18 months experience in inspection of Schedule C drugs manufacturing units of the state.

Schedule C drugs include sera, solution of serum proteins intended for injection, vaccines for parenteral injections, toxins, antigen, antitoxins, Neo-arsphenamine and analogous substances used for the specific treatment of infective diseases, insulin, pituitary (Posterior Lobe) extract, adrenaline and solutions of salts of adrenaline, antibiotics and preparations thereof in a form to be administered parenterally, sterilised surgical ligature and sterilised surgical suture, bacteriophages, ophthalmic preparations and sterile disposable devices for single use only.

HC has finally ruled out that the existing optional criteria of 18 months experience in inspections of Schedule C drug manufacturing units is not applicable and the state government can recruit the drug inspectors on an urgent basis based on the qualification specified in the act. The qualification for recruitment of drug inspector as per the advertisement in 2007 had asked for the relevant experience besides the qualification of Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy.

According to a source close to the development, "Selected candidates had moved the court to seek a settlement on the disputed experience criteria stipulated in Section 21 of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 to qualify as a drug inspector."

Settlement of cases will give a boost towards upgrading the manpower in the state as there are only 70 drug inspectors in the state to inspect over one lakh drug retail stores in the state. This also includes inspections of 500 manufacturing units and 300 plus blood banks in the state. According to Hathi Committee recommendations, there is a need for one drug inspector to properly inspect 200 retail drug stores.

Based on the inspections conducted for the year 2013-14, a total of 33 FIRs and 51 arrests have been made and drugs worth over Rs.29 lakh were seized by UPFDA for non -compliance to Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Drugs included physician sample drugs, narcotic drugs and habit forming drugs. The offenders were booked under sections 274, 275, 276, 419, 420 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 18 and 27 of Drugs & Cosmetics Act.