Hyderabad: Raw materials imported from China for drug formulations like penicillin, statins, solvents and active ingredients for antibiotics are not evaluated at the time of import because they are passed off as products, drug inspectors said.
Drug inspectors have begun collecting samples from pharmaceutical companies following complaints about the inferior quality of raw materials.
A senior pharmaceutical industry official said, “Ninety per cent of the raw materials for medicines comes from China. At the time of import it is passed off as requirement for the chemical industry.
“There is no drug inspector or official at the ports to inspect the raw materials.”
Indian drug exports are closely scrutinised, but that is not the case with imports, a senior drugs administration officer said.
A senior drug inspector said, “There is a need to evaluate the efficacy of chemicals before importing them. Manufacturing practices should be checked to ensure that they meet the standards set by global pharmaceutical companies. These are important as a large number of pharmaceutical companies depend on these imports.”
Last month, the anti-cancer drug 'vincristine' was alleged to be of inferior quality as the active ingredients were not effective.
The Drug Control Authority of Telangana seized the stocks, but the test reports on the samples will arrive only after three months.
