Gujarat Emerges As The Number One State In Manufacturing Quality Medicines In India

Gujarat has emerged as the number one state in manufacturing good quality medicines in the country according to a report in Business Standard.

The state has the lowest share of Non Standard Quality (NSQ) medicines for 2017-18 among all the states in India. The state’s NSQ stands at 1.69 per cent, whereas the national average is 4.62 per cent. Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (GFDCA) had collected 3,616 samples from pharmaceutical companies, of which only 395 were found to be of NSQ.

The state has improved in the quality compliance with 2.52 per cent of medicines manufactured being of NSQ in 2013-14 reportedly.

Authorities collect random samples of medicines and check them for quality compliance. It has to be noted that NSQ drugs are not to be confused with fake medicines. NSQ medicines only mean that they are of low quality and do not comply with the minimum standards prescribed.

"Gujarat has improved its score when it came to quality compliance over the past few years. This is important as the state is a manufacturing hub and medicines made here are sold across the country,” H G Kashia, Commissioner of GFDCA, is quoted to have said.

The state has pharmaceutical companies like Intas Pharmaceuticals, Torrent Pharmaceuticals, Eris Lifesciences, Cadila Healthcare among others.