Industry & Economy
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Health
NCB cautions pharma cos on distributors with dubious connections
Our Bureau
Mumbai
,
Feb. 8
AN investigation of the illegal trafficking of buprenorphine to Karachi has found that about three crore injections may have been diverted into "illicit channels", both within the country and outside, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) said here on Tuesday.
Buprenorphine is used in the treatment of cocaine abuse and the NCB revelation on the product came even as efforts are under way to resolve the impasse between chemists refusing to sell psychotropic drugs and the NCB.
The NCB had over the last several months intensified its raids on chemists to check the abuse of psychotropic medicines and this had lead to a fear psychosis among chemists, who in turn refused to stock these drugs from earlier this month.
"The NCB is targeting only those firms and personnel who have indulged in large-scale illegal diversion of the injections. The diversions are not taking place, by and large, at the retail chemist level," the note said.
Cautioning pharma companies on the distributors being appointed by them, the NCB said that some distributors were found to have connections with "Dubai-based trafficking groups". Further, it has advised these companies to have a voluntary code of conduct based on the "know your client" principle. These are internationally accepted tools for minimising law enforcement interface with business entities, it said.
It has also written to pharma companies on the "bad publicity" internationally, due to the lack of controls on these drugs, which are virtually available over the counter in India.
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