Of 13,000 medicine samples, 2.4% fail quality check in 2022

CHENNAI: In 2022, the Directorate of Drugs Control Tamil Nadu tested 12,959 samples of medicines for quality in which about 317 were found to be of substandard quality.

At least 4,000 more samples were tested when compared to 2021. There were 8,900 samples tested in 2021 when about 313 were found to be of substandard quality. At least 2.4% of all samples failed the quality check in 2022, while it was 3.5% in 2021.

Officials from the State Health Department said, “There’s a strict vigil on drug manufacturers, medical representatives and pharmacists to ensure that no drugs that fail the quality check are being sold or manufactured.”

Over 5,000 regional units were inspected for testing samples of drugs and medical products to check them for quality. “Regional officers make sure to collect samples from manufacturing units, medical stores, pharmacies, and hospitals. The drug misuse and abuse has also been curtailed,” said drug controller Dr PV Vijayalakshmi.

She added that officials under the supervision of the directorate were on field inspection even during the pandemic, and had to ensure that there was no misuse or abuse of essential drugs.

“Tablets like paracetamol, sanitisers and testing kits were checked. We’ve been able to control the distribution of paracetamol and ensured that it met the quality standards. Even during enquire via the 104-helpline, we’ve clarified their concerns on the medicines and its right quality,” stated Dr Vijayalakshmi.