03 May 2010
By Raakhi Jagga
Ferozepur, India
A Temporary ban has been put on use and supply of folic acid after it failed the usability test. State Health Secretary Satish Chander said during random testing folic acid being supplied to Ferozepur hospitals failed the tests. “We have sent the samples for retesting,” he said.
Earlier, povidone–iodine solution had failed a similar test, which caused irritation in eyes and skin.
Chander said samples of the medicines were tested at Srirama laboratories in Chandigarh. According to sources, four batches of the medicine supplied by a MP–based pharmaceutical company were sent to the lab and all failed the test. They said stock of the medicine has been lying in most of the hospitals for the last few months.
It was the state Health department that had cleared the medicine before it was supplied to the hospitals.
Folic acid is an important medicine under the National Rural Health Mission (NHRM) programme and is supplied in bulk to hospitals. It is prescribed as a supplement for iron deficiency in the body, especially for pregnant women. On an average, a primary health centre received more than 30,000 tablets annually. “The medicine will not be consumed in any hospital till we are satisfied with the test results,” Chander said, adding that action will be taken against the company.
“We will replace the stock and if major anomaly is found, even the company can be blacklisted,” he said. The disclosure has, however, raised a question mark on the quality of drugs available in civil hospitals.
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