THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Kerala has reported the most number of ayurvedic products that are ‘not of standard quality’ (NSQ) in the country. As many as 113 ayurvedic drugs sold in the state were found to be of poor quality. Kerala was followed by Maharashtra with 21 products, said Union Minister for Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal in reply to a question raised by MP Ramya Haridas in the Lok Sabha on December 16.
He also listed the action taken by drug controllers of different states in a period from 2019 to 2022. Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, Assam’s drug controller found 52 non-compliant samples between 2020 and 2021. It should be noted that 10 states, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh, and three Union territories did not report a single case in any category.
Health experts said the list is not comprehensive, but they pointed out that Kerala does have a lot of poor quality drugs and that the drug controller is more active as well.
“The state drug controller is doing a great job by testing ayurvedic drugs to find out those which are not up to standard. It’s a step in the right direction. I hope the state licensing authority will initiate stringent action against those who are violating the drug laws,” said Dr Babu K V, a health activist from Kannur. The controller has actively followed up on drug companies violating regulations, he added.
Dr Raju Thomas, the previous president of the Ayurveda Medical Association of India, said most of the poor quality drugs come from outside the state. “We have a very good regulatory system. But it is a daunting task to check all the drugs that reach the market. There should be an independent regulator with enough manpower for Ayush to make the system more effective,” he added. Drugs controller P M Jayan did not respond to TNIE’s calls seeking a comment.
