The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) has destroyed expired medicines worth Tk36.4 crore during drives conducted at different pharmaceutical shops all over the country.
A report, signed by DGDA director general Maj Gen Md Mustafizur Rahman, was submitted to the Attorney General's office on Tuesday, which gave accounts of all the measures authorities took against the trade of expired medicines.
Besides, a mobile court formed by DGDA also fined those businesses around Tk1.05 crore for keeping expired medicines.
According to the report, the DGDA mobile court conducted drives in 4,587 pharmaceutical shops following an High Court order, and fined them with Tk10,489,200.
The report also says DGDA also sealed five shops for irregularities.
Deputy Attorney General ABM Abdullah-Al-Mahmud Bashar confirmed to Dhaka Tribune that the report has been received and will be submitted to the High Court bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan on Thursday.
Also Read- 3% pharmacies in Dhaka keep expired medicines
On June 18, the High Court ordered the government to take necessary actions to stop the sale of expired medicine—and destroy or withdraw it from the market—within 30 days.
Secretaries of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, and Ministry of Industry; director generals of the Directorate General of Health Services, Directorate General of Drug Administration, and Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection; the inspector general of police; plus the chairman and convener of Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries, were made respondents to the writ.
In a different directive, the High Court ordered the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection Deputy Director, Manjur Mohammad Sahrir, to submit a report based upon the statement he made at an event in Dhaka on June 10 – that received much media attention.
In his statement, Sahrir said 93% of the pharmacies in Dhaka sell expired medicines.
The court also ordered an independent investigation committee be formulated to detect expired medicines and identify its suppliers.
Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Mahfuzur Rahman filed the writ—annexing newspaper reports—on behalf of rights protection organization Justice Watch Foundation, on June 17.
From June 24 to July 13, the DGDA has arranged 126 awareness programs regarding the sale of expired medicines in 56 districts all over the country.