The UP state government banned to use substandard cardiac medicine “Atorvastatin” and recalls from govt hospitals. Medicine was supplied to over 160 government hospitals in Uttar Pradesh, failed on quality parameters fixed under Indian Pharmacopoeia. WIth taking immediate action, the UP State Medical Supplies Corporation banned the use of the medicine.
Atorvastatin is commonly prescribed medicine to treat cardiac ailments, but after it failed quality parameters, an order to recall the entire supply of the medicine has also been issued.
A notice has been issued to the Hyderabad-based supplier firm. The government also ensures to make arrangements to supply additional stock to accomplish the high demand for medicine. Health officials also said that the supplied samples of the medicine were previously approved and tested by the Regional Drugs Testing Laboratory (RDTL) Chandigarh and only then supply orders were passed on November 19.
Random testing results in substandard, when samples picked from district hospital Agra and sent for testing again. And new assessment report by the Chandigarh-based lab said the sample does not conform to the claim as per IP with respect to dissolution and therefore was not found to be of the standard quality.
Atorvastatin is used to treat cardiac ailments as it helps to lower bad cholesterol and fats such as triglycerides and raise good cholesterol in the blood.
A cardiologist, Prof Aditya Kapoor at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Science (SGPGIMS) shared that the Atorvastatin belongs to a group of drugs known as statin and works by reducing the amount of cholesterol made by the liver. Its intake under medical supervision is important to prevent stroke and heart attacks.
This medicine is in huge demand as the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civil Hospital in Lucknow alone, needs about 25,000 tablets of the medicine every month. The demand for a year jumps to three lakh units.
