The evil-practice producing adulterated and duplicate drugs is increasing day by day in different parts of the country, bringing harmful effect on human health and medicine industry as well.
Drug administration directorate gave approval to West Laboratories in Darshana of Chuadanga to produce Ayurveda medicines. However, in the name of manufacturing Ayurveda medicines, they continuously manufactured various adulterated medicine. The law enforcing agency arrested two men of this fraud syndicate and sealed the factory off.
284 medicine manufacturers have license of producing Unani medicines that are bound to produce it by following guidelines of drug administration directorate. But, instead of complying with the rules and regulations, some of Unani medicine manufacturers are producing duplicate medicines in their factory. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has found 12 of such business organizations.
In the factories of these duplicate medicine manufacturers, it has been claimed to be produced all types of medicine for treating kidney diseases to cancers. As they have the permit of Ayurveda factory, neither government nor people suspects them to be fraud.
The drug administration directorate hasn’t been able to monitor the matter due to lack of sufficient manpower. Sometimes, the criminals related to this offense got arrested in drive conducted by law enforcing agency. However, the fraud people involved in the duplication go free by availing bail and return to the same crime again.
Deputy commissioner of Lalbagh division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Intelligence Mashiur Rahman told The Bangladesh Pratidin, “In some Ayurveda and Unani medicine factory, duplicate medicines of some renowned companies are manufactured secretly. With the permit of Unani medicine manufacturing, they even produce medicines of kidney, liver diseases and cancers. Due to lack of consciousness and professionalism, some medicine retailers buy medicines from them and sells to the public. I think the sellers of this kinds of medicines are also equally responsible for the crime associated with it. For the greed of extra profit they continuously sell these medicines without thinking about its detrimental consequences.”
According to drug administration directorate sources, by conducting mobile court over selling of duplicate, adulterated and low-quality medicines, 2036 cases have been filed from January to December 2021 and a total amount of Tk 2,67,54,300 has been fined.
Director of drug administration directorate, Ayub Hossain said, “We conduct regular drive to take action against the syndicate involves in duplicate and adulterated medicines. But, we can’t run the drive in wide range due to lack of manpower. There’s only one inspector in each districts. We have submitted proposal of recruiting manpower to the ministry. If this proposal is granted, then the drive will get new momentum.”
According to the sources of Detective Branch, the fraudsters spread the medicines in the market in such ‘guile’ ways that its hard to differentiate real one from the fake medicine. Some pharmacy owners are assisting these syndicates with a view to extract extra profit. Even, some pharmacies located around Mitford Hospital are also involved in this fraudulence, from where these adulterated and duplicate medicines get spread across the country.
Bangladesh Chemist and Drug Association director Zakir Hossain Roni told The Bangladesh Pratidin, “As the duplicate medicines are sold in lower prices than the original ones, the honest businessmen are becoming losers. Government is losing revue and life of common people is in danger.”
He also said, “The fraudsters mainly duplicate antibiotic, gastric and molecules types of medicines. The dishonest businessman purchase duplicate medicines and send it to the retailers in different upazilas. There, these duplicate medicines are sold in the same prices of authentic medicines.”
Bangladesh is exporting its medicines to 145 countries around the world. However, adulterated and duplicate medicines have made this goodwill questionable. Even the pharmaceutical companies, whose medicines are got duplicated, is not that much interested to take action against the fraudsters.
Labaid Group managing director Dr A M Shamim told The Bangladesh Pratidin, “Medicines are being sold in more than 130,000 permitted pharmacies in the country. But, many of them don’t follow the cold chain rules properly. Besides, the duplicate medicines worsened the situation. For example, few days ago, a patient admitted in Dhaka Medical College Hospital needed to take insulin injection. His relatives bought the drug from Chankharpur area of the capital; however, after using the injection, the eyes of the patient became wounded as it was duplicate insulin.”
He suggested everyone to keep themselves away from the enticing discount advertisement of some pharmacies, as there’s big chance that duplicate medicines to be included secretly in the name of discounts.
@The article published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on October 17, 2022 and rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque
