Traders in a soup after Centre bans 14 combination medicines

Officials from FSDA are now reaching out on retail stores and asking about physical stock of banned medicines.

LUCKNOW A ban on 14 fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs by the Government of India has posed a difficult situation before medicine traders, who are now also being ‘harassed’ by officials, said Suresh Gupta, the general secretary of Chemists and Druggist Federation Uttar Pradesh (CDFUP).

For representation only (PTI)

Holding meetings with medicine retailers/wholesalers across the state over the issue, Gupta said, “A sudden ban has been implemented perhaps for the first time. We were given no time to dispose of the medicine. Stock worth about ₹30,000 crore has got blocked due to the order, presenting a sticky situation before traders.”

Officials from FSDA are now reaching out on retail stores and asking about physical stock of banned medicines. However, these medicines can’t be disposed-off like garbage, instead, they need to go through a proper process. While pharma companies have equipment for this kind of disposal, individual retailer don’t have them, said Suresh Kumar, former president Lucknow Chemists Association, a body of medicine traders in the state capital.

“We urge the central government to give at least 60 days of time to medicine traders to get the stock of banned medicine to be returned/disposed of properly and till then, no official should harass traders,” said Suresh Gupta.

There are at least 250 pharma companies manufacturing 2,500 brands of these combination drugs, which are widely sold and used in India. In the past, manufacturing of the medicine to be banned was stopped but the ban on sale has directly impacted the traders, added Gupta.