SHILLONG:
The Meghalaya Medical Drugs & Services Limited (MMDSL) on December 7 said quality test report confirmed that the Albendazole tablets are meeting the standard quality criteria and there has been no adverse effect reported in the state.
In a statement, Managing Director of MMDSL Ramkumar S said upon receipt at the state warehouse, Albendazole tablets batch no. MS4AI2301 (Manufacturing Date: Jan-2023, Expiry Date: Dec-2025) were distributed to respective districts based on allocations.
Certified quality tests were conducted in February 2023, including the manufacturer’s in-house quality test report and the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) quality test report.
Both reports affirmed that the tablets meet standard quality requirements.
However, upon receiving a quality report from the Regional Drug Testing Lab (RDTL), Assam, in October 2023, indicating the tablets as “not of standard quality,” an immediate directive was issued to halt the distribution of the specific batch.
Ramkumar said a Comprehensive Quality Reassessment was again conducted in November 2023 by the Quality Control division of Meghalayan Medical Drugs & Services Ltd which drew samples from the warehouses.
These samples were sent to NABL-accredited lab in Kolkata, while the manufacturer’s identity and batch number was kept confidential. The batch number generated by the quality Assurance department was MMDSL QC 0022.
“The subsequent quality test report confirmed that the Albendazole tablets with batch no. MS4AI2301 (Manufacturing Date: Jan-2023, Expiry Date: Dec-2025) meets standard quality criteria,” he said while adding that the comprehensive testing procedures involved tests in two NABL labs and one manufacturer’s in-house lab.
“All these labs confirmed that the drugs met the quality, efficacy, and safety standards with Meghalayan Medical Drugs & Services Ltd taking immediate action to verify the quality of the drugs, addressing the concerns raised. Also, no adverse effect has been reported so far as a resultant of this batch,” he said.
Further, the managing director assured that the government is taking utmost seriousness on the quality of medicines to ensure proper services to people in a timely manner.