NASHA BANDI!
With assistance from Mirror reporters, FDA officials acted quickly to trap the 3 pharmacy store owners selling schedule H drugs without a prescription. Result: All shops have downed their shutters
By Yogesh Avasthi
Modus operandi
FDA’s mode of operation was similar to that of Mirror’s. Two youngsters were given Rs 50 and sent to the three shops to buy alprazolam tablets — anxiolytic drugs to be sold only against a doctor’s prescription. As expected, they were not asked to produce the prescription and were sold the tablets.
But the unwitting attendants/owners had no clue that the serial numbers of the Rs 50 notes were noted down by the FDA team in a pre-trap memo.
A raid was conducted immediately after the sale and the serial numbers tallied with the pre-trap memo. This gave the store owners no chance to enter into an argument with the officials. They admitted to having sold the schedule H drugs without asking for a prescription.
Hornets’ nest
Accompanied by Mirror reporters, the FDA team, comprising FDA’s assistant commissioner K G Nogia and 12 officials, raided all the three medical stores in Bapunagar and Odhav one after the other. Within an hour-and-a-half, these shops were ordered to close down.
Glaring irregularities were found in the account books of all the three stores— there was no sale and purchase record of many of these schedule H drugs.
As per the existing law, anybody can get a pharmacy licence on the condition of employing a qualified pharmacist in the shop. However, at one of the stores, the pharmacist was running a stationery shop elsewhere while the store was being manned by a non-professional.
Action taken
“We have initiated legal action against the store owners indulging in malpractice. Departmental inquiry and a procedure to seal the shops are underway. Till further orders, they have been asked to keep their shops closed,” FDA Commissioner H Koshia said.
A press release issued by the FDA on Friday evening stated that these medical stores were found to be selling Nitrosun 10 (Nitrazipam), Nitravet (Nitrazipam) and Alpraquil 0.5 (Alprazolam) tablets without seeking doctor’s prescription.
“These stores did not have a full-time pharmacist, as is required. Also, as these shops failed to produce records of the purchase and sale of these drugs, their samples have been sent for tests. Legal procedures have been initiated against these store owners,” Koshia said. All the three shops have been served notice and ordered to shut shop till further orders.
Mirror probe
Following reports that pharmacies in eastern parts of Ahmedabad were selling prescription medicines over the counter to young addicts, Mirror started an investigation to identify such stores in Odhav and Bapunagar.
Two Mirror reporters came across two teens into casual drug abuse. Raju and Anil, aged 17 and 18, demonstrated how easy it was to buy schedule H drugs without producing a prescription.
In all, they bought medicines from three stores. Prescription drugs like alprazolam are used to treat moderate to severe anxiety disorders and panic attacks, and is used as an adjunctive treatment for anxiety associated with moderate depression.
But prolonged abuse of such pills can cause deleterious effects on health. They can weaken an addict’s memory by causing neurological damage.
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Sunday, November 22, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror - cover story : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=200911222009112202345646827b7ee4c)
A day after the Mirror expose on chemists selling Schedule H prescription drugs over the counter to substance abusers, the Food and Drugs Administration swooped down on those same medical stores as part of their own investigation.
Friday’s crackdown brought to light the rampant illegal trade of prescription drugs by these shops and irregularities in their account books. The result: All the three stores were asked to down their shutters till further orders.
From corticosteriods to hormonal preparations, from anti-depressants to muscle relaxants, from cough syrups to fever medicines — Schedule H or prescription drugs, were being sold by these stores like chocolates at a provision store.
Modus operandi
FDA’s mode of operation was similar to that of Mirror’s. Two youngsters were given Rs 50 and sent to the three shops to buy alprazolam tablets — anxiolytic drugs to be sold only against a doctor’s prescription. As expected, they were not asked to produce the prescription and were sold the tablets. A raid was conducted immediately after the sale and the serial numbers tallied with the pre-trap memo. This gave the store owners no chance to enter into an argument with the officials. They admitted to having sold the schedule H drugs without asking for a prescription.
Hornets’ nest
Accompanied by Mirror reporters, the FDA team, comprising FDA’s assistant commissioner K G Nogia and 12 officials, raided all the three medical stores in Bapunagar and Odhav one after the other. Within an hour-and-a-half, these shops were ordered to close down.
Glaring irregularities were found in the account books of all the three stores— there was no sale and purchase record of many of these schedule H drugs.
As per the existing law, anybody can get a pharmacy licence on the condition of employing a qualified pharmacist in the shop. However, at one of the stores, the pharmacist was running a stationery shop elsewhere while the store was being manned by a non-professional.
Action taken
“We have initiated legal action against the store owners indulging in malpractice. Departmental inquiry and a procedure to seal the shops are underway. Till further orders, they have been asked to keep their shops closed,” FDA Commissioner H Koshia said.
A press release issued by the FDA on Friday evening stated that these medical stores were found to be selling Nitrosun 10 (Nitrazipam), Nitravet (Nitrazipam) and Alpraquil 0.5 (Alprazolam) tablets without seeking doctor’s prescription.
“These stores did not have a full-time pharmacist, as is required. Also, as these shops failed to produce records of the purchase and sale of these drugs, their samples have been sent for tests. Legal procedures have been initiated against these store owners,” Koshia said. All the three shops have been served notice and ordered to shut shop till further orders.
Mirror probe
Following reports that pharmacies in eastern parts of Ahmedabad were selling prescription medicines over the counter to young addicts, Mirror started an investigation to identify such stores in Odhav and Bapunagar.
Two Mirror reporters came across two teens into casual drug abuse. Raju and Anil, aged 17 and 18, demonstrated how easy it was to buy schedule H drugs without producing a prescription.
In all, they bought medicines from three stores. Prescription drugs like alprazolam are used to treat moderate to severe anxiety disorders and panic attacks, and is used as an adjunctive treatment for anxiety associated with moderate depression.
But prolonged abuse of such pills can cause deleterious effects on health. They can weaken an addict’s memory by causing neurological damage.
