Central drugs standard body did not carry out inspections in Tamil Nadu for 6 years, claims minister

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Friday claimed that officials from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation had not carried out inspections in the state for six years, The Hindu reported.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation is the national regulatory authority for drugs, medical devices and cosmetics, which reports to the Union health and family welfare ministry.

His claim came amid the deaths of 22 children in the past month linked to the consumption of cough syrup Coldrif manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer in Tamil Nadu’s Kanchipuram district.

The Tamil Nadu government has been accused of failing to adequately carry out drug inspections.

Responding to the allegations, Subramanian told reporters on Friday that it was mandatory to conduct inspections in all drug manufacturing units every year.

Two drug inspectors from the state had also been suspended for failing to conduct quality checks on the drugs manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, he said.

“The central drug inspectors [of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation] are required to conduct inspections of such drug manufacturing facilities across India once every three years,” The Hindu quoted the minister as saying.

He added: “However, no inspections were carried out by them in Tamil Nadu over the past six years. Where can we place the blame? We have raised this as well.”

The deaths were reported after several...

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