A decision has been taken by the State Government of Himachal Pradesh to come down heavily upon ayurveda pharmacies which do not measure up to the minimum quality standards. The licences of about 11 such units are to be cancelled. The units were found not fulfilling the good manufacturing practice standards (GMP), an official said.
"In the past few months, officials of the state health department visited around 70 ayurvedic pharmacies in the state and found 11 units not fulfilling the GMP," he said, declining to be named. The statewide checking followed the Government's warning to the firms not to compromise with the GMP standards.According to sources, some of the erring units only packed the medicines in Himachal Pradesh while procuring them from neighboring states. They said that some of the products like the popular ayurvedic tonic Chyawanprash did not contain all the 49 ingredients listed on its label.
However, the sources did not reveal the names of the pharmacies which were sent notices to close down.
"We have warned the existing units to strictly adhere to the GMP standards set out by the state ayurvedic departments," said V.C. Katoch, Director, State Ayurveda Department.
Edited IANS
