Ahmedabad: To step up surveillance and reduce
the time needed for detection of fake drugs, Gujarat Food and
Drugs Control Administration (GFDCA) is developing `Quick
Detection Kits`.
The project, taken up in collaboration with Department of
Health and Human Services, the apex health body of the United
States, is a first of its kind in India.
"A three-member delegation from Department of Health and
Human Services, USFDA, is visiting our laboratory in February,
when we would discuss techniques used for quick analysis of
pharmaceutical products," GFDCA Commissioner H G Koshia told
PTI.
"The idea is to develop a quick detection kit for
screening of pharmaceutical products, with the help of hi-tech
gizmos based on infra-red spectroscopy principles."
Three types of very sophisticated portable instruments
for on-the-spot drug testing are available with the US
Department of Health and Human Services.
"Testing a drug is a tedious and cumbersome process. It
usually takes anything between 36 to 72 hours," Koshia said.
An official estimate puts prevalence of spurious drugs
upto 30 per cent in the over Rs 34,000-crore drugs market in
the country.
PTI
