MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICAL AND FERTILIZERS (SHRI SRIKANT KUMAR JENA)
(a) & (b) The Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 1995 does not define life saving medicines. No Public Sector
Undertaking under the administrative control of the Department of Pharmaceuticals has been closed in the
recent past. However, as reported by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare the manufacturing licenses of the
three Public Sector Units (PSUs), namely, the Central Research Institute, Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh), the
Pasteur Institute of India, Coonoor (Tamil Nadu) and the BCG Vaccine Laboratory, Chennai (Tamil Nadu), which
are under the administrative control of that Ministry, were suspended by the Drugs Controller General (India)
in January 2008 due to non compliance of the requirements of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) as provided
under Schedule M of Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. As reported by the Ministry of Health & Family welfare
the contribution of these PSUs to the market was negligible. For some months in 2008, there were shortages
of some vaccines for Universal Immunization Programme which were overcome by procuring them from private
sector as well as public sector other than the aforesaid three PSUs whose iicenses were suspended. It has
further been reported by the Ministry of Health & Family welfare that the Government has decided to revive
these units and restart production of vaccines after compliance with GMP requirements.