The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Pune, took action against 112 retail medical stores across the city in the past six months.
According to officials, a total of 336 retail shops were inspected by the FDA, out of which 93 shop licenses were suspended, and 19 medical store licenses were cancelled. The team also inspected around 44 wholesale pharmacy shops, suspending 14 of them for not adhering to norms.
Most actions taken against wholesale and retail medical stores were due to the absence of a pharmacist, the sale of narcotic drugs (e.g., sleeping pills) without prescriptions, and discrepancies in billing percentages.
According to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940, every medical store must employ a pharmacist to dispense medicines prescribed by doctors. The FDA’s drug department monitors medicines from import and manufacturing to distribution and sale, ensuring they are safe, effective, and conform to state quality standards.
Additionally, the FDA inspected 18 drug manufacturing units in Pune, cancelling the license of one unit and suspending two others for violating FDA norms. The FDA also inspected 42 blood banks in the city, suspending the licenses of four and cancelling one due to improper blood collection and contamination. Furthermore, eight blood storage centers were inspected, with three licenses cancelled and three centers suspended for irregular operating times and issues with the blood transfusion process.
