To create and maintain conducive environment for attracting investment through Pharmaceutical Industry with certain framed rules, procedures and facilities to the investors, the state government constantly working at improving the Drug Administration and to bring efficiency and transparency in the process of issuing licenses to the entrepreneurs applying for the same and time bound disposal of their applications besides providing various services to the citizens.
The State Government has made sustained efforts in removal of any bottlenecks in smooth operation of pharmaceutical industries as a result Himachal Pradesh has emerged as the major pharmaceutical hub of the country supplying drugs and cosmetics to the domestic as well as to International market. Almost every category of the drugs are being manufactured in the State, including tablets, capsules, injectables, external applications, liquid formulations, vaccines, medical devices and diagnostic kits etc.
An Xtended Licensing Node (XLN) software system for online filing of applications and issuing of licenses has been launched by the Government. This system has completely revolutionized the process of issuing licenses to drug manufacturers. Application for grant and renewal of licenses are being received at district headquarters, as earlier, the applications were submitted to as many as six Licensing Authorities with complete transparency at all levels.
The time frame has been set up for inspector for marking the applications thus expediting the whole process. The system has been developed in the way that licensee remains in constant touch with the whole process on-line with SMS facility on his mobile number till the final process is over.
XLN automatically gives alerts of inspections for applications to be taken up urgently, SMS alerts to dealers 60 days prior to the expiry of license and about samples which would be expiring soon. This Citizen Centric system can easily locate the particular shops dealing in life saving drugs and round the clock medicines shops open in its vicinity. The General public can get the information about standard/ NSQ drug samples for life saving drugs along-with the name of the manufacturer the batch number, manufacturer and expiry date etc. Besides, one can also verify the license of any retailer or wholesaler and manufacturer.
XLN could be use to send bulk SMS to all retailers, wholesalers, distributors and stockists towards batch recall and stock distributions etc. for substandard and banned drugs.
If any drug sample of particulars batch is declared sub-standard it is published in the public domain and bulk SMS are sent to all retailers, wholesalers and appropriate levels of licensing authorities in other States through this system. Provisions have been made for instant action by drug inspectors for any queried-upon sample dispatched to the laboratory and ensuring a foolproof level of secrecy at analysis stage pertaining to the manufacturer of that sample.
The online system adopted by the State Government has become very useful for delivery of licenses within the specific timeframe, speedy interaction with the manufacturers on different issues besides its citizen centric features.
