New Delhi: The Parliamentary standing
committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers has raised concerns
that the Department of Pharmaceuticals has not kept the track
of means adopted by other countries to ensure availability of
Shikimic Acid, used in preparing medicines for Swine flu.
"It is matter of serious concerns that the Department of
Pharmaceuticals has not kept tracks of the means adopted by
other countries like the US and Mexico to cope with the
availability of Shikimic Acid," the Parliamentary standing
committee said in its fifth report submitted in the Lok Sabha.
The committee also expressed its displeasure over the
fact the details regarding the quality and value of Shikimic
acid were not reportedly available with the Director General
of Commercial Intelligence.
Shikimic Acid is the basic raw material used in preparing
medicines for Influenza HINI A (Swine Flu).
It, however, expressed satisfaction over department's
urgency to initiate a study to gauge the dependency of other
countries upon China for Shikmic Acid and alternatives routes
adopted by them to produce Oseltamivir drug.
Oseltamivir is the chemical name of anti-swine flu
capsules.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, December 15, 2009, 22:08