Over 60 medicine shops warned against overpricing

Kolkata: State government has warned more than 60 medicine shops in Kolkata against selling essential drugs at higher price or else license of these shops may be cancelled.

State home department has gathered information that these shops sold medicines, including that of blood pressure and cancer, at an exorbitant price in March.

Following the request by the Home department, the state Health department has informed the matter to the National Pharmaceutical Processing Authority.

Sources said that these shops that had sold the essential medicines at a higher price were warned that any repetition of such incidents may lead to the cancellation of licences for the shops. It was alleged that these medicine shops had sold asthma, blood pressure and cancer medicines at an exorbitant price. The Home department has also urged the Health department to carry out raids in the districts to see if any medicine shops were selling drugs at higher price.

State Health department will continue a surveillance on the district medicine shops. In the wake of a series of fake medicines being recovered from various parts of the state, the state health department will also issue instructions to medicine shops to put on display the QR codes of the medicines so that the customers can have in idea if the drugs they were buying for were proper.

If the customers scan the codes, they will also get to know information about 300 types of suspected fake 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.