The Indian Drugs Manufacturers Association, an industry body representing leading pharmaceutical companies, has issued guidelines on the disposal of date expired/damaged and rejected medicines to its members in order to prevent the recycling.
According to IDMA officials, several instances of date expired and damaged medicines being recycled by unscrupulous elements have come to their notice.
The industry body has put together a three-tier plan to put an end to the menace. At the manufacturing locations, companies have been asked to intensify actions to destroy all online product rejects at the earliest.
Also, companies should destroy all redundant packaging materials and intensify all security arrangements for all printed packaging components.
The companies also need to ensure that the field sales representatives return all the stocks of date expired samples for destruction to the manufacturing locations.
The management should designate an individual under whose supervision destruction will be done. The suitable standard operating procedure will be followed for all destruction.
The manufacturing locations should check their records and instruct for the return of such stocks duly identified, says IDMA.
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