Drug dealer pulled up for distorting label
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 24 2011:
Volunteers of All Manipur AntiDrug Association (AMADA) along with members of Manipur Chemists and Druggists Association (MCDA) have pulled up one S surjit of Jiribam Kalinagar for his indulgence in selling drugs with false labels.
Medicines worth Rs 2 lakh seized from the possession of the said individual have also been destroyed, said AMADA secretary (organisation and Coordination) K Meghachandra at the joint press conference with MCDA members at the former's office today.
informing that AMADA and MCDA had been carrying out drives to check sale of sub-standard or fake drugs to the public since 2006, Meghachandra stated that during such a campaign Surjit's clandestine activities came to light.
Explaining further the AMADA secretary said Surjit owns two pharmaceutical outlets one at Jiribam and the other at Nagamapal (Bheigyabati Pharmacy), where labels of original drugs are changed.
Along with changing the labels the price tags are also distorted to dupe customers, he maintained and added that as high as Rs 570 is charged for a particular cost whose original print price is only Rs 23.73 .
Naming a few drugs, Meghachandra said Becadexamine is changed to Glace-AD capsule, Frutibion sold as glace X syrups, Calzac as Folcare suspension and Taxakind sold as Tx-original.
These drugs are passed off as a products of Glaxo, Ranbaxy and Mankind, he added.
As Surjit confessed to have committed the crime and agreed on permanent closure of the pharmacies the second offence, in case, would not be tolerated, Meghachandra informed and also asked doctors concerned against prescribing the said drugs.
He also prevailed upon doctors to stick to professional ethics as AMADA would be closely monitoring activities of doctors to ascertain authenticity of the prescribed drugs.
speaking at the occasion, MCDA general secretary Dr RK Ratankumar disclosed that Surjit transformed the drugs with the use of laptop, printer and packaging materials and suspected that such fake drugs might have available at various pharmacies
of Imphal.
He also accused medical practitioners of patronising fake drug dealers in exchange of pleasantries and gifts presented by traders.
He further asserted that similar drive would be carried out in all the districts with top priority on Churachandpur.