Pharma companies blame archaic law for lack of swine flu drugs
Today's economic times reports about the current issues related to swine flu drugs and the problems therein.
Drug makers in India have blamed an
"archaic" health ministry regulation for the shortage of medicines
used for treating swine flu, saying they had to destroy stockpiles of the drugs
because chemists were reluctant to procure them.
More than 600 people have died of the disease
across the country in the past two months.
Many patients, even in bigger cities like
Delhi, have complained of lack of swine
flu medicines at drug stores and hospitals. "Since the drug comes
under Schedule X, there are various licences required to stock the medicines,
which dissuades chemists to stock them," said an executive at Mumbai-based
Cipla, which manufactures swine flu drug under the brand name Anti Flu.
"And, if chemists are seen selling swine flu drugs without adequate
licences, they immediately face prosecution."
Schedule X classifies "restrictive drugs" under the Drugs
and Cosmetics Act of India, which imposes limitations on their
sale by pharmacies and hospitals. Narcotics drugs, for example, are classified
as Schedule X.
The government intention behind including
swine flu drugs under Schedule X was to prevent their incessant use, which
could make the disease immune to the drug.
"There was no demand for swine flu
medicines throughout last year, because of which we had to destroy lakhs of
batches as they had expired," said Adar Poonawala, managing director,
Serum Institute of India. "Even chemists were reluctant to buy the
medicines from us because there was no demand." Oseltamivir and Zanamavir
are two key drugs used for treating swine flu. They are manufactured by drug
companies such as Cipla, Natco, Hetero and Ranbaxy Laboratories.
Besides, Serum Institute of India manufactures vaccines in the name of Nasovac and
Nasovac S, which can also be used as preventive drugs.
Poonawala said it is also the responsibility
of the health ministry to purchase the vaccines and keep the demand cycle
going. "However, right now, we are back on our production cycle and ready
with the new batch, so there is no shortage from our end," Poonawala
added.
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