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Bill to ease penalties for low-quality drugs passed in Parliament

Hindustan Times

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August 03, 2023

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023, that seeks to promote ease of business by decriminalising minor offences, amending 183 provisions in 42 acts across 19 Union ministries, in some cases replacing prosecution with direct penalties.

- Rhythma Kaul

Bill to ease penalties for low-quality drugs passed in Parliament

The changes proposed to the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940, through this Bill, include permission for compounding-paying a fine in lieu of imprisonment for substandard medicines, a modification that has sparked a huge debate among experts who fear it will lead to dilution of punishment, with activists claiming that this has been done at the instance of the pharma lobby.

The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, classifies drugs as "adulterated, spurious, and not of standard quality (NSQ)".

Punishments under section 27 (d) of the Act are jail terms of up to two years for NSQ drugs.

Under the new legislation, section 27 (d) has been made compoundable; in effect, going easy on manufacturers producing substandard drugs.

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