FDA takes tech route for transparency, to renew chemists' licences online

Over 55,000 retail and wholesale traders of medicines across the state will now be required to apply online to get/renew their licences. In its bid to ensure greater transparency, the state food and drug administration has made it mandatory for the chemists to adopt the web route. The move will also cut down serpentine queues at FDA offices, said officials.

Any person requiring to obtain or renew a licence or wanting to update details of the pharmacist at his shop can log on to xlnindia.gov.in for the job.

"We are completely doing away with the paperwork system and will not be accepting any manually filled forms or documents. The online facility will root out any possibility of corruption and make the dealings between FDA and chemists transparent," said Mahesh Zagade, state FDA commissioner.

Once a chemist registers his mobile number on the website, a unique user id and password will be sent to him via a text message. "The chemist has to use the SMS info for online applications for licences, renewals," said Shekhar Nadar, proprietor of Dhanlaxmi Chemists in Mulund (West).

Meanwhile, the drug authority has made it compulsory for chemists to notify it about the appointment of pharmacists at their shops within thirty days. Until recently, the clause pertaining to pharmacists was a bone of contention between the traders and FDA, with the former group resorting to five strikes since October 2012.

Chemist bodies have now cited that there is no dearth of diploma in pharmacy passouts in the state and their members must adhere to FDA norms to avoid prosecution.

"There are 175 colleges in Maharashtra that offer a two-year diploma in pharmacy. Nearly 10,000 D.Pharm students will pass out this year. Chemists ought to employ them at a salary between Rs15,000 and Rs20,000 for a twelve-hour shift," said Nitin Maniar, president, North East Chemist Association, Mumbai.

FDA has recorded details of all pharmacists employed in chemist shops on its database. In case, a chemist uploads details of a pharmacist who is already employed elsewhere, the system will reject the erroneous application, officials said.

Nadar said, "If a chemist appoints a pharmacist but does not upload the details online within a month, such an appointment will not be considered valid by the FDA. In such a case, they can cancel or suspend a chemist's licence."