Business Standard: Validation Check Imposed on Medicine Exports in India

The August 5th edition of the Business Standard reports on Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) requiring all pharmaceutical contracted manufacturing exports will be required to furnish validation certificates of authenticity for importing firms overseas.

• The move, initiated by the office of the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), is expected to boost India’s image as a supplier of quality, low cost medicines.


• According to the official directive, all contract manufacturers exporting medicines using neutral code (which do not mention the name of the manufacturing or marketing firm) will have to present certificates from the regulators of the importing country to prove the genuine nature of the importing firm. In other words, the foreign regulator will have to endorse the product name and marketing registration these companies have obtained from the regulator.


• The drug exporters hailed the intention of the DCGI, but expressed concern over the sudden implementation of the circular. “There are hundreds of medicine products that are being exported to all parts of world”, they said adding: “ If DCGI wants the credentials of all the foreign sourcing companies from respected drug regulators, the consignments will not be cleared for the next three months. It will affect our credentials and credit worthiness.”


• The exporters wanted the directive to be confined to less regulated markets, where there is scope for mischief. Indian drug exports had recently come under regulatory scrutiny in several countries due to alleged complaints of spurious and counterfeit medicines.

XStream System applauds the move by DCGI and encourages screening and validation within all points of the supply chain as an important solution to counterfeit, substandard and adulterated pharmaceuticals.

XStream’s XT250 system can be easily deployed within the supply chain to screen, validate and authenticate pharmaceuticals within their sealed, unit-of-sale container without opening, destroying and degrading the product.

To view the entire article visit: www.business-standard.com

Largest European Seizure: Two Million Counterfeit Pills Seized in Brussels Airport

Two million counterfeit pills have been seized in Brussels Airport. The seizure of the drugs which originated in Mumbai, Indian and were bound for West Africa is the largest confiscation of counterfeit medicine in Europe.

The three Indian shipments contained counterfeit pharmaceuticals labeled as Tramal, a painkiller, and Fansidar, an anti-malaria drug.

Africa already has the daunting task of trying to control its malaria outbreaks without further obstacles of fake treatments. Many countries, organizations, and businesses have been aiding Africa to fight malaria and therefore, counterfeit medicine is a real threat to their work. In some countries up to 60% of anti-malaria drugs are fake and are aiding in the drugs resistance to current therapies.

Furthermore, the biggest victims are the children, because according to the Worlds Health Organization (WHO) a majority of malaria deaths are children under the age of five and Fasidar is one of the drugs given to pregnant women for the prevention of malaria.

The scope and intent of this particular case leads us to ask – Is any medication safe? How can we protect our most vulnerable medications? We believe the answer can be found in pharmaceutical authentication which verifies the drug itself. With nothing added and nothing destroyed; the method can be programmed to test various oral medications.

To learn more of this fascinating technology, see XStream Systems website at http://www.xstreamsystems.net/products.html.

California warns Residents not to flush pharmaceuticals

What happens to your unused pharmaceuticals? Many consumers are concerned with the increased numbers of pharmaceuticals showing up in our drinking water. Some states are answering this issue with collection and or recycling programs.

The California state and local officials are teaming with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a "No Drugs Down the Drain Week," starting with events Oct. 2. The program recommends that drugs be dropped at special collection sites or tossed in the trash.

Some states collect unused drugs and then destroy them and according to according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 36 states have recycling programs for prescriptions to be redistributed to needy individuals. The regulations for these states vary, but the general provisions for recycling are as follows:

• All donated drugs must not be expired and must have a verified future expiration date.
• Controlled substances as defined by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration are usually excluded and prohibited.
• A state-licensed pharmacist or pharmacy must be part of the verification and distribution process.
• Each patient who receives a drug must have a valid prescription form in his or her own name.

On the surface this is at the least a protection for our environment, and at the most a fine humanitarian effort…but the only safe way that drugs can be properly recycled and properly dispensed for those in need is to make certain that they are authentic by using a non-destructive verification process.

XStream Systems, XT250 is designed to authenticate and verify materials inside its container without degrading or destroying the material.
Save the environment and help those in need, recycle drugs by authenticating them.