Question : LIFE SAVING DRUGS



(a) whether due to closure of Public Sector Undertakings manufacturing of life saving drugs have resulted an acute shortage of drugs in the contrary to the goals of the Government`s Universal Immunization Programme; and

(b) if so, the measures taken to supply life saving drugs to protect children from life threatening diseases?

Answer given by the minister


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.