Drugs of 18 pharma firms found substandard since 2018

Bureau bars firms from supplying to Janaushadhi scheme

The Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI), which implements the Centre’s flagship affordable medicine scheme PMBJP, has found 25 batches of drugs of 18 pharmaceutical companies to be of substandard quality since January 2018, according to an official document.

While 17 out of the 18 companies are private, one is a public sector unit (PSU), the Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited (IDPL), according to the document.

Both the BPPI and the IDPL work under the Department of Pharmaceuticals of the Central government.

Janaushadhi Kendras

Once the affordable generic drugs are procured from the pharmaceutical companies by the BPPI, they are supplied to various Janaushadhi Kendras that are managed under the Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).

There are 4,677 Janaushadhi Kendras functional in the country, as on December 31, 2018.

Sachin Singh, Chief Executive Officer, BPPI, said, “Stringent action has been taken against the suppliers whose products were declared ‘Not of Standard Quality’.” He gave a list of companies debarred or blacklisted for selling “not of standard quality” products.

Seven companies — Overseas Health Care, Hanuchem Laboratories, Legen Healthcare, AMR Pharma India Private Limited, Jackson Laboratories, Mascot Health Series and Terrace Pharmaceuticals — have been blacklisted for two years.