Last Updated on September 27, 2025 by The Health Master
Counterfeit Drugs
As the threat of counterfeit drugs and psychotropic substances looms increasingly large, a meeting of minds and policies has forged a united front.
Regulators across five northern states Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Punjab have come together to formulate a strategy to overcome the menace.
The meeting was held at Himachal Bhavan under the guidance of the Drug Control Administration of Himachal Pradesh (DCA HP) to ensure a strong and united front against the malpractice that has crippled the northern pharmaceutical market for years.
Led by Dr. Manish Kapoor, the State Drug Controller (SDC) of DCA HP, the meeting aimed to bolster inter-state coordination to crack down on inter-state drug rackets.
Regulators Come Together to Protect Public Health
The increased frequency of counterfeit drugs and illicit psychotropic drug regulations is an emergency risk to public health for residents across North India.
However, drug regulators met to strategize an outline to combat the growing malpractices firmly.
The five northern states, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Punjab have come together to formulate a strategy to overcome the menace.
This meeting was headed by Drug Controller of DCA HP Dr. Manish Kapoor.
Meeting of the Minds
The meeting took place in Chandigarh and welcomed regulators from across the region to attend in person or virtually.
Besides DCA HP head Dr. Manish Kapoor, the other SDCs included Lotika Khajuria (Jammu & Kashmir), Sanjeev Garg (Punjab), Lalit Kumar Goel (Haryana), Tajber Singh (Uttarakhand), as well as a representative from Uttar Pradesh.
The intervention and involvement of senior government officials of various departments (health, safety, CID, and NCB) virtually indicate that this challenge is widespread and requires multi-agency intervention.
Objective of the Meeting
The key takeaway from this coalition summit is a primary plan to keep drug lords on their toes and make trading and diversion more challenging.
As recommended by Lalit Kumar Goel, SDC from Haryana, an interstate coordination committee should be established to promote information/intelligence exchange between drug controllers, facilitate joint raids, and hold swift investigations.
This initiative will allow cross-border offenders to be more easily apprehended instead of evading arrests simply because they crossed state lines.
One significant resolution is a unanimous appeal to the central government for a “One Nation–One Dedicated Portal”.
This portal will facilitate real-time tracking of psychotropic drugs from manufacturing to users.
Regulators deem this essential for detecting breaches that can lead to exploitation and addiction among vulnerable youth populations.
Finally, these states will improve internal measures, including formulating a seamless Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for swift communication of malpractices as they arise.
Any company found diverting drugs illegally will face more robust legal action.
Future Expectations
Dr. Kapoor confirmed that joint surprise inspections of drug manufacturing companies are here to stay.
Such inspections go hand-in-hand with the activities of anti-narcotics task forces focusing on drug manufacturing and wholesale activity and retail pharmacy practices.
Thus, if any citizen has intel regarding wrongdoings at any level of pharmacy operation, the drug regulators urge them to come forward immediately.
Lalit Kr. Goel believes this can be a new example for other regions in India.
With a concentrated focus on interstate collaboration, leveraging technology with frequent adjustments, and compliance investigation tasks forced by intelligence, a more effective and efficient regulatory mechanism will simplify efforts for all in charge and increase safety for civilians.
Q: What are counterfeit drugs and psychotropic drugs?
A: Counterfeit drugs are those that are falsified or not approved by government guidelines for performance; they may have good intentions but do not produce the same results or may be filled with nonessential or harmful ingredients. Psychotropic drugs are diverted substances usually aligned with legal operations that are reintroduced into markets without approval.
Q: What does the new interstate coordination committee do?
A: The committee’s primary function is to ensure that regulators do not work in silos; instead, information/intelligence should be shared as quickly as possible so that joint raids and joint operations can serve criminal apprehensions more efficiently than before.
Disclaimer: This article contains information obtained from the source mentioned below. Our team made changes in the format to rewrite and present the news or article in a unique format.
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