Pharmaceuticals manufacturer?s body, Indian Drug Manufacturers? Association (IDMA) has written to the chairman of the railway board alleging that the Indian Railways is discriminating against small-scale pharma companies, following its decision to restrict the purchase of medicines only to those manufacturers who have a turnover of Rs 50 crore and above. This is not only unjust but discriminatory against many small scale industry (SSI) members, who comply with the most stringent of good manufacturing practices (GMP), the association alleges.
Daara B Patel, secretary-general of IDMA, says that for the last 20-30 years, all pharma companies, especially SSIs, have been supplying pharma products to various hospitals under the Indian Railways and purchases were made on the basis of registration and representation among hospital doctors.
He pointed out that SSIs have been pioneers and the backbone of the economy and should be afforded an adequate and just opportunity to compete and participate in the purchase of tenders. ?They are part and parcel of the Rs 68,000-crore Indian pharmaceutical industry. We strongly believe that as long as any interested manufacturer produces quality medicines at competitive prices and produces the same with a valid licence, no restrictions, either on the basis of turnover or size, should be considered as a qualification for tender applications,? he said. Patel explains that turnover does not guarantee medicine quality, especially given the present scenario, where drugs are often manufactured on a contract basis and sourced from different factories of both small scale and medium scale units. With all the norms being followed by pharma companies, the question of being discriminated against should not arise.