Ban on six generic drugs suggested

The recommendation for banning six generic drugs in the local market made by the Adverse Drugs Reaction Advisory Committee (ADRAC) is now awaiting the Drug Control Committee's decision.

Several experts in their opinion said although the director general of the drug administration has approved the recommendation, a long process lies ahead for the final stage --- stopping the drugs' production and their use by the patients.

At the advisory committee's meeting in presence of experts from different departments and institutions, the recommendation has been made to the drug authorities for banning manufacture of the generic medicines.

As per the meeting held last month, the six generic drugs are currently banned in the developed and in many developing countries.

India has banned these 'harmful drugs' which cause heart attack and many other diseases, last year, according to ADRAC documents.

The director general of the drug administration (DGDA) signed the recommendation made by the advisory committee and the relevant authorities are waiting to pass on the proposal to the Drug Control Committee (DCC).

The drug office is scheduled to sit in a meeting today (Thursday) with the stakeholders to learn about their views.

An official at the drug administration said, "We will listen to the stakeholders today and if they feel that the generic drugs should be banned, then it would be easier for the drug office to go ahead with the banning process."

He said the recommendation would be sent to the Drug Control Committee (DCC) and after getting its final nod, the drug administration would issue letters to the companies which manufacture these generic drugs on their own brand names.

Md. Nasser Shahrear Zahedee, president of Bangladesh Pharmaceuticals Society (BPS) said the drug office had the authority to ban the drugs right at this moment.

He said a meeting of the DCC was taking place after a long interval, and if the drug office kept waiting for their order it might take a long time.

He added that considering public health, the drug office could postpone production of the harmful generic drugs until a DCC meeting took place.

Professor Moniruddin Ahmed of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Dhaka University, said the ADRA committee's recommendation for banning the drugs' production locally is helpful for public health.

He said the six generics drug were currently widely used in Bangladesh and the government should take a stringent position in stopping their production.

The DU teacher said, "A few years back I suggested the government to stop production of such hazardous drugs, but nobody paid heed to my suggestion."

The DGDA official said, "After getting the final nod from the DCC, we will issue letters to the stakeholders giving them some time in helping exhaust their current stocks."

Another office-bearer of BPS said a powerful group was trying to evade the decision of the government on banning the generic drugs.

The recommendation for banning the six generic medicines includes Flupenthixol and Melitracen (antipsychotic), Pioglitazone (antidiabetes), Rosiglitazone (antidiabetes), Gatifloxacin (antibetes), Tegaserod and Sibutramine (antiobesity).

According to data available from a research organisation, the drugs have occupied a good percentage of total market shares as the physicians are prescribing the drugs rampantly.