Drugs and cosmetics rules amended

The government has amended schedule K of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 to liberalise the existing procedures for the sale of morphine tablets, and to relax the licensing of blood banks in small hospitals run by the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS). There are very strict controls on the sale of morphine tablets under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (1985) and they have to be cleared by the state excise authorities for transportation and storage. Since the drug is a crucial one in the treatment of terminally ill cancer patients, the restrictions on it prove a hindrance to providing them relief. The amendment makes it easier to procure the tablets but with adequate security. Under the new scheme, the tablets will be available not only through licensed hospitals, but also through Regional Cancer Centres, which will help in a wider distribution and utilisation area for the medicine. The medicine can be purchased by these centres from authorised dealers who have been licensed under the Drug and Cosmetics Rules. Certain minimum specific conditions have been laid down under the amendment. The drug can only be sold under the supervision of the Medical Officer of regional cancer centres and palliative care centres approved by the government. He will maintain a record of the number of medicines sold and a profile of the patients it is given to. This amendment not only makes an essential drug more easily available, but will also help in the maintenance and upkeep of the requisite records.Some amendments are also made in the operation and management of blood banks in these areas. These specify certain qualifications for the manpower and equipment deployed for storage and delivery of blood. These regulations are relaxed for the border hospitals, which mostly transfuse blood under emergency, subject to the blood bank being under the charge of a qualified medical officer. The blood will however be tested for HIV, Hepatitis and other infections, and there would need to be adequate facilities to store the blood, as required under the rules..