Kolkata: The West Bengal Health Department has issued an advisory to all drug wholesalers and retailers in the state to check the validity of the sellers’ licenses while purchasing medicines. It has been stated that they should subsequently submit it to the state drug control department for verification.
Issued by the Special Secretary, Health Department and Director, Drug Control, the advisory asks all sellers’ licenses to be checked through an online portal and subsequently submitted to the state drug control department.
It further asks to check if the bank accounts are in the names of the selling firms themselves and also their GST numbers, while making payments to sellers outside West Bengal.
After all the information has been shared with the state drug control department, officials will run a check to verify the status of these sellers from outside the state.
Over the last few months, the state drug control directorate has seized fake drugs in huge quantities from wholesalers and retailers in Kolkata and adjoining districts.
A preliminary investigation revealed that many of these fake drugs were coming from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. A section of wholesalers and retailers were dealing with unlicensed operators from these states for more profits.
Details were sought from the directorates of several states, including Bihar and UP, in the wake of these preliminary findings.
The Drug Control Directorate had conducted a search and seizure operation at the premises of two wholesalers in Ultadanga and Muchipara in Kolkata.
Counterfeit drugs were also found in an e-pharmacy warehouse in Uttarpara. One of the shop owners claimed to have bought the stock of medicines from a drug supplier at Aligarh in UP.
With many dealers and retailers procuring medicines from unlicensed suppliers to offer greater discounts and earn more profits, the advisory aims to stop this malpractice soon.
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