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The Union Health Ministry is in full proactive mode to ensure availability of safe and quality medicines in the country. The government's campaign against fake medicines has also gained momentum. Union Health Minister JP Nadda said the country has created a robust system to allow manufacturing and export of safe and effective medicines and medical devices to more than 200 countries around the world.
Policies are being made to ensure that people get quality medicines at low prices. At present there are 8 drug testing labs in the country and their number is being increased. 2 labs are currently in the pipeline and their number will increase. At present, bar codes or quick response codes (QR codes) have been made mandatory on top 300 brands of pharmaceutical products in the country and this policy will be reviewed from time to time.
Speaking at the International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities, the Union Health Minister said that currently more than 95 per cent of the regulatory processes in the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) have been digitalized, thereby bringing transparency in the system. Rules have also been made regarding the medical device industry in India and all necessary measures are being taken for quality medicines.
India has rapidly expanded its healthcare infrastructure and increased its vaccine production to meet domestic and global demand. The successful implementation of the program to cover more than one billion people with COVID-19 vaccination reflects the strength of the country's healthcare system and the dedication of healthcare workers. He said that as the 'Pharmacy of the World', India has played a vital role in ensuring affordable access to essential medicines, vaccines and medical supplies for countries around the world. More than 150 countries have received life-saving medicines and vaccines during the pandemic.
India supplies 50 percent of the world's vaccines
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said the Indian pharmaceutical industry has recently become India's fourth largest export sector, which is an example of our level of integration into the global pharmaceutical supply chain. India is the third largest producer of medicines in the world. India has the highest number of US FDA approved plants outside the US. He also pointed out that India supplies 50 per cent of the world's vaccines, most of which go to UN agencies like WHO, UNICEF and organizations like the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and GAVI. Dr. Rajiv Singh Raghuvanshi, Drug Controller General of India, spoke on India's achievements in the drug regulatory and medical device sectors, including the approval of India's first CAR T-cell therapy.
Experts say more and more medicines should have QR codes. A lot of information about the medicine can be obtained by scanning the code or QR code. The government has already given strict instructions to the companies to put bar codes on their medicines. Pharma companies may have to pay heavy fines for not following government instructions. Through QR code people get all the information like generic name of the medicine, brand name, manufacturer details, manufacturing date, expiry details, license number etc.