The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has constituted an 8 member panel to frame new laws for drugs, cosmetics and medical devices. It is chaired by V. G Somani, Drugs Controller General of India(DCGI).
Objective: The committee will frame new laws for medicines, cosmetics and medical devices in a bid to replace the existing Drugs and Cosmetics Act which was formed in 1940.
Order Titled- ‘Constitution of Committee for Framing of New Drugs, Cosmetics and Medical Devices Act’.
The members-
Rajiv Wadhawan (director, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare), Dr. S.E. Reddy (member) A.K. Pradhan (joint drug controller), drugs controllers of Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra and IAS officer NL Meena. The committee is allowed to co-opt members if it requires.
Highlights
- The import, manufacture, distribution and sale of drugs , cosmetics and medical devices is being regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. It was amended in 2008.
- The committee will re-examine the current act and submit a draft document for a de-novo Drugs, Cosmetics and Medical Devices Bill by November 30, 2021.
- It will involve other stakeholders such as manufacturers, scientists, doctors and patient groups would have been beneficial.
The medical devices were brought within the regulatory ambit by the Health Ministry last year by treating them as a category of drugs to regulate them. As of today, 37 medical device categories have been notified.
Background: At present, there are no legal provisions to compensate people who have faced medical problems because of faulty devices or implants. Niti Aayog’s draft proposed a penalty of up to Rs 1 crore on the manufacturers or importers. But it never saw the light of day.
Drug Controller General of India (DCGI)
The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) heads the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).
i.CDSCO is the central drug authority in India. It is a national level regulatory body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
ii.The body is responsible for approving licenses for certain categories of drugs.
Headquartered-New Delhi, Delhi
