FDA suspends drug inspector

In a first, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended a drug inspector and issued show cause notices to a joint commissioner and an assistant commissioner for neglecting duty.

After the FDA had started a special drive ensuring that the law that forbids chemist shops from operating without a pharmacist is implemented, the FDA commissioner sent teams from Mumbai on Thursday to Pune to conduct a surprise check. Officials not only wanted to find out the pharmacists that defy this rule but also to ensure if drug inspectors are doing their job properly in implementing the law.

Confirming the suspension, FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade said, “Two senior officials have also been issued show cause notice. We are going to do this inspection in all zones. Issuing wrong medicines can be very dangerous to public health and we need to ensure that our officers are taking this seriously,” he said.

Maharashtra FDA joint commissioner OS Sadhwani said that a team of Mumbai officials had visited Bibvewadi area and inspected seven drug stores. “In five chemist shops, pharmacists were present. In one pharmacy, he was called in. In the seventh place, the pharmacist was a grocery shop owner,” he said.