New Delhi, November 3 — The Union Health Ministry has proposed widening the network of authorised gateways through which drugs, medical devices and cosmetics can be imported into India, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported by IANS on Tuesday.
Source: IANS
The proposal is a draft amendment to Rule 43A of the Drugs Rules, 1945. Rule 43A lists the ports, airports, railway stations, road crossings and other designated points through which pharmaceutical and related products may legally enter the country.
Which new locations are proposed
The proposed additions are inland container depots (ICDs) at Sonipat, Piyala and Harsaru in Haryana; Dadri in Uttar Pradesh; Gandhidham/Mundra in Gujarat; Sanath Nagar and Thimmapur in Hyderabad, Telangana; and Whitefield in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The Bommasandra Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Karnataka and Noida International Airport in Uttar Pradesh — for the import of drugs by air — are also on the list, the ministry said.
The Hindu BusinessLine, reporting the same gazette notification on November 3, said the additional locations would join the existing network of authorised import gateways and that the move is intended to facilitate faster clearance and improve supply-chain efficiency.
Source: The Hindu BusinessLine
A draft, not a final order
The amendment has been proposed, not finalised. The ministry has invited objections and suggestions from stakeholders, which can be sent to the Under Secretary (Drugs Regulation) in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, BusinessLine reported. The listed locations should therefore not be read as already open for drug imports.
According to the ministry statement carried by IANS, the wider gateway network is aimed at improving logistics efficiency and strengthening the distribution network for healthcare products.