Kathmandu, November 9

The Department of the Drug Administration today said it had decided to examine the quality of essential drugs in the market.

Officials said the step was necessary as some of medicines on the essential drugs list were found dubious in quality.

The DDA said samples of medicines on the free essential drugs list would also be examined in its laboratory. The government provides 70 types of medicines of communicable and non-communicable diseases free of cost through district hospitals across the country.

The Ministry of Health has recommended over 300 essential medicines and asked the hospitals and doctors to use them in the treatment of patients.

“We are planning to examine quality of essential drugs,” said DDA Director General Narayan Prasad Dhakal. He said medicines on the free essential drugs list would also be examined in the DDA’s laboratory.

According to Dhakal, drug inspectors of the DDA have been assigned to collect samples of essential medicines from the market and health facilities.

The DDA would examine the samples of the medicines collected by the DDA’s drug inspectors from the market. “We have been regularly examining the medicines manufactured by national as well as international companies,” added DG Dhakal.

He also informed that his office had recalled several medicines whose quality were found substandard during laboratory examination.