Three pharmacy owners and a pharmacist in the Colombo area have been fined nearly Rs. 250,000 by the Maligakanda Additional Magistrate after pleading guilty to multiple charges including selling expired medicines intended for children and operating pharmacies without licensed pharmacists.

According to reports, raids carried out by a team led by Neville Wickramasinghe, Chief Food and Drug Inspector of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority, resulted in the arrests. 

The accused admitted guilt to the charges filed against them, leading to the penalties imposed.

The convicted offenders are linked to pharmacies in Maradana, Colombo 15, and Colombo 14. 

They faced charges of selling expired medicines, running pharmacies without pharmacists or licenses, issuing drugs without prescriptions, storing unregistered medicines, and keeping samples meant for doctors.

Four separate cases have been filed under these violations. (Newswire)

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Deputy Minister of Health Hansaka Wijemuni says price regulations will be introduced in the future for medicines imported through private pharmacies.

Deputy Minister Wijemuni said that this step is being taken with the aim of strengthening the government’s drug procurement process.

He pointed out that although there is a Price Regulation Committee to regulate the prices of medicines imported by the private sector, no effective action has been taken through it.

The Deputy Minister of Health further said that a new legal framework for this purpose has already been submitted to the Attorney General. (Newswire)

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The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has issued a statement addressing recent reports suggesting the possibility of widespread pharmacy closures across the island.

The claims are unfounded and based on false reports alleging that a large number of applications for annual pharmaceutical licenses were rejected, leading to fears of pharmacy closures, the NMRA said.

In a letter, NMRA Chairperson Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama clarified that the misleading report had been falsely attributed to the All Island Private Pharmaceutical Owners Association.

The NMRA emphasized that no sudden changes have been made to the pharmaceutical license approval process, and the basic criteria for obtaining licenses remain unchanged.

The authority also condemned the newspaper report for publishing false claims without verifying them with the relevant authorities. (Newswire)

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