Kolkata: In the wake of a series of fake medicines being recovered from various parts of the state, the state Health department is set to issue instructions to medicine shops to put on display the QR codes of the medicines so that the customers can have an idea if the drugs they were buying were proper.
If the customers scan the codes, they will also get to know information about 300 types of suspected medicines. If they compare the list, they will easily understand whether the medicines they were buying were genuine or not
. According to sources, about 300 medicines have been identified as fake which include pressure related drugs, diabetes
drugs, inhalers etc. The Drug Control General of India has already sent QR codes to the state Health department and it was also instructed that medicines sellers will have to check the medicines before selling them
in the market. The Directorate of Drug Control in Bengal has already published phone numbers so that people can directly call at these numbers to draw the attention of the authority if they suspect any strips of medicines or bottles to be fake.
The numbers are 033 2225-2213/ 033 2225-2214. Substantial chunks of the fake and substandard medicines have been recovered during raids by state and Central drug control officers at multiple places in the state.
The officials of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and also from West Bengal Directorate of Drug Control carried out raids in several places. What was found to be shocking was that the manufacturing company failed to recognise the batch number of some
medicines seized. It was also found that several fake medicines were found during the raid.When QR codes are scanned, it says “does not match any documents”.