The Delhi High Court on Friday sought response from the Central government on a plea to curb the sale of expired drugs by erasing original manufacturing details and re-stamping with a new expiry date.
A Bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V.K. Rao also sought response from Drug Controller General of India on the petition filed in public interest and posted it for further hearing in March next year.
The petition filed by advocate Amit Sahni contended that as per Environment Protection Act (biomedical waste management and handling rules) expired or discarded medicines are either to be sent back to the manufacturer or disposed of as per the prescribed rules. “Unfortunately in our country, some people for their vested interest sell expired medicines by putting new expiry date on them,” the plea said.
“The expired medicine sold as unexpired medicine not only affects the health of the affected person[s] but also leads to unnecessary financial burden, which does not serve the purpose in any manner,” the petition said.
