THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Central drug authority Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which regulates the import of drugs and which is responsible for the approval of new drugs/clinical trials, is all set to open its office in the capital city. However, the state government is yet to respond to CDSCO’s repeated demand for land for establishing the office.“CDSCO has expressed its desire to start its office here. We have already approached the district administration for one acre of land as proposed by CDSCO for setting up the office. However, it has been said that there is no land available in the district,” State Drugs Controller P Hariprasad said on Sunday.
CDSCO has decided to set up an office here as part of strengthening the drug system in the country. The Centre has already allotted `1,700 crore for strengthening of the drugs sector, of which `850 crore is for the development of the central drug agency and the rest for the states to enhance their drug system.
The Central drugs control agency has decided to start 10 of its offices in different states. They have already started their office in Bangalore and Andhra Pradesh. Hariprasad said that the Deputy Drugs Controller, South Zone, would visit the capital this month itself to finalise the proposal.
He said that if land was not available, the Central Drugs Agency would look for government buildings. And if that was also not available, the last option was rented buildings, he said and added that CDSCO insisted on starting its office in the capital itself.
Noting that the state would get a major boost with the office in Thiruvananthapuram, the State Drugs Controller said that it would help in the fast renewal and licensing of blood banks, speeding up of import of drugs and clinical trials.He also mentioned that once the CDSCO set up its office here, it would help strengthen the cooperation between the Central agency and the State Drugs Control Department.