Gujarat to develop Quick Detection Kit for fake drugs

US department of health and human services helping state govt with the project

PTI | January 2, 2012



To step up surveillance and reduce the time needed for detection of fake drugs, Gujarat Food and Drugs Control Administration (GFDCA) is developing 'Quick Detection Kits'.

The project, taken up in collaboration with department of health and human services, the apex health body of the United States, is a first of its kind in India.

"A three-member delegation from department of health and human services, USFDA, is visiting our laboratory in February, when we would discuss techniques used for quick analysis of pharmaceutical products," GFDCA commissioner H G Koshia told PTI, "the idea is to develop a quick detection kit for screening of pharmaceutical products, with the help of hi-tech gizmos based on infra-red spectroscopy principles."

Three types of very sophisticated portable instruments for on-the-spot drug testing are available with the US department of health and human services.

"Testing a drug is a tedious and cumbersome process. It usually takes anything between 36 to 72 hours," Koshia said.

An official estimate puts prevalence of spurious drugs upto 30 per cent in the over Rs 34,000-crore drugs market in the country.

A task force on tracking of spurious medicines has been set up by the union government, with representatives of health, commerce, law and consumer affairs ministries.

According to the Indian Drugs Manufacturers Association, the union government has already mandated bar-coding of all drugs meant for exports from October 1 last year.

GFDCA already has an on-the-spot food product detection kit, which can detect 21 types of adulteration, such as urea in milk, argemone in oil, traces of metals in food, aluminium in place of silver foils, etc.

Also, it recently launched a toll free number -- 1800 233 5500 -- for taking in complaints.

Comments

 

Other News

India faces critical shortage of skin donors amid rising burn cases

India reports nearly 70 lakh burn injury cases every year, resulting in approximately 1.4 lakh deaths annually. Experts estimate that up to 50% of these lives could be saved with adequate access to skin donations.   A significant concern is that around 70% of burn victims fall wi

Not just politics, let`s discuss policies too

Why public policy matters Most days, India`s loudest debates stop at the ballot box. We can name every major leader and recall every campaign slogan. Still, far fewer of us can explain why a widow`s pension is delayed or how a government school`s budget is actually approved. That

When algorithms decide and children die

The images have not left me, of dead and wounded children being carried in the arms of the medics and relatives to the ambulances and hospitals. On February 28, at the start of Operation Epic Fury, cruise missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school – officially named a girls’ school, in Minab,

The economics of representation: Why women in power matter

India’s democracy has grown in scale, but not quite in balance. Women today are active participants in elections, influencing outcomes in ways that were not as visible earlier. Yet their presence in legislative institutions continues to lag behind. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was meant to addres

India will be powerful, not aggressive: Bhaiyyaji

India is poised to emerge as a global power but will remain rooted in its civilisational ethos of non-aggression and harmony, former RSS General Secretary Suresh `Bhaiyyaji` Joshi has said.   He was speaking at the launch of “Rashtrabhav,” a book by Ravindra Sathe

AI: Code, Control, Conquer

India today stands at a critical juncture in the area of artificial intelligence. While the country is among the fastest adopters of AI in the world, it remains heavily reliant on technologies developed elsewhere. This paradox, experts warn, cannot persist if India seeks technological sovereignty.


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter