New Delhi : The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet led by the Prime Minister on Wednesday has approved the appointment of Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi as Drugs Controller General of India, Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) as per the recommendations of UPSC.
“The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal for appointment of Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Secretary-cum-Scientific Director, Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission to the post of Drugs Controller (India), Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in level 14 of the Pay Matrix, on short term contract basis, with effect from the date of his assumption of charge of the post till his attaining the age of superannuation on 28.2.2025, or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” the government order said.
The other contenders were VG Somani, former DCGI, and Jai Prakash, joint director at IPC.
The UPSC floated the advertisement last February following which a lot of applications came in and interviews were conducted last month.
DCGI heads the Central Drugs Control Standard Organization (CDCSO). It is a critical post in terms of making regulatory approval for drugs and vaccines in India. The importance of the post lies in the fact that DCGI has played a key role from approval of covid-19 vaccines to approval of lifesaving drugs and ensuring its quality in combating the covid-19 pandemic.
Besides, the appointment of a new DCGI is important at a time when India-made drugs like cough syrups and eye drops supplied outside India are allegedly causing adverse events in the patients who are consuming it.
It would not be inaccurate to say that the person holding this position is directly and indirectly responsible for all medical products consumed by us. The DCGI is head of the health regulatory agency, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).
Apart from regulatory flaws, failures and loopholes, there are challenges that must be solved immediately.
The CDSCO is an arm of the union ministry of health and family welfare. Under the Drug and Cosmetics Act, the regulation of the manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs falls under the ambit of “state” authorities whereas “central” authorities are responsible for the approval of new drugs, clinical trials, laying down the standards for drugs, control over the quality of imported drugs among others.
The division of duties and responsibilities is clear under the rules, but somehow, the CDSCO is trying to take over duties of states without sharing enough power. Multiple state regulators I spoke to, before penning the column, told me that the trend of grabbing power from state regulators is creating confusion, which in turn, is making them insecure and inefficient.
