The Karnataka Pharma Retailers and Distributors Organization (KPRDO) has urged the state food and drugs administration (FDA) Commissioner K Srinivas to resolve the two issues facing the traders in the state. One is that pharma manufacturers and wholesalers are currently not accepting cut expiry strips of medicines resulting in significant losses to the traders. The other issue is that the Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) are selling drugs which are not listed by PMBI (Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India) and not issuing sales bills.
In a letter to the FDA Commissioner, KPRDO president C Jayaram said, “While we have brought the matter to the notice of the Drugs Controller General of India, in August 2024, on the non-issuance of credit notes for the cut medicine strips, we received a reply from its enforcement cell, which redirected us to Karnataka FDA”.
Under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetic Act & Rules, licence to sell or stock, exhibit or offer for sale is regulated by state licensing authority. Here, we seek your intervention to issue orders to the pharma manufacturers, CFA agents and wholesalers for sorting out this issue to accept the loose expiry cut strips and to provide suitable credit notes to wholesalers and retailers, Jayaram stated.
Coming to Janaushadhi Kendras, it was launched with the objective to supply quality medicine at affordable prices to needy people and also to create jobs for pharmacists, but now it is becoming a business as one investor owns many JAKs license at different places. This is absurd. It is defeating the purpose of the noble project launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to benefit the economically weaker sections of the country, he noted in his communication to the Karnataka FDA.
Even though JAK has a rule that the minimum distance between 2 counters must be around 1 to 1.5 km, KPRDO is wondering how the state drugs control department is granting permissions to set up shop within the specified distance.
JAKs are allotted under the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, ministry of chemicals and fertilizers. These dedicated outlets in the country are an initiative where high quality generic medicines are sold at low prices.
Now it has been reported that despite being a dedicated outlet for Jan Aushadhi medicines many of these are selling other branded generic medicines. This is also a gross violation of the clause No. 2.4 of agreement as per the policy of PMBI, he said.
Several representations have been made with concerned ministry & departments. Meetings and deliberations with the Karnataka health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao along with the erstwhile drugs control department. The state government had taken note of the issue.
Since it is still unresolved, KPRDO is requesting the new Karnataka FDA to look into the two issues in an urgent manner and resolve the same, concluded Jayaram.