About 59 pharmaceutical companies out of 193 are involved in manufacturing adulterated drugs, posing serious threat to the public health, official sources said.
They said, these companies are doing it under the nose of the drug administration in absence of appropriate laws.
The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), from January to September 2013, tested almost three thousand medicine samples of 193 companies in different laboratories in Dhaka. The laboratory test report found 125 adulterated and substandard medicines of 59 companies.
The DGDA, however, claimed that the existing laws were not enough to take action against those companies.
Earlier, a parliamentary watchdog on ministry of health and family welfare recommended the government for taking action against the companies after conducting a study on these companies. It had also recommended for cancellation of their licenses as the drugs manufacturedby the companies were being considered as threat to health.
While talking to The New Nation, Director General (DG) of the DGDA, Major General Mohammad Jahangir Hossain Mallick said, “The existing law does not permit us to take legal action against them.” He said, there are loopholes in the existing law and the companies are doing the unethical practice under the cover of the ambiguities. The DGDA DG emphasized the need for amending the existing laws saying or making new laws to prevent the crime. “We know the government is working on it. And once the new law comes into effect, the DGDA would be able to stop illegal activities of the companies.
Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) Secretary General Abdul Moktadir said the government must take action against the companies considering interest of the public health. He also demanded immediate ban on these companies by scarping their licenses.
When The New Nation approached Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim for comment, he said, “This is a serious crime and the government would go tough against the companies.”
“I got the file recently, the government would go action against these companies by the by next week.”
