Production of substandard antibiotics
HC issues contempt of court rule against three health ministry officials
The High Court on Wednesday issued a contempt of court rule against the health secretary, director generals of health directorate and drug administration, and two others on charge of ignoring its directives on halting production of substandard antibiotics.
The HC asked the concerned officials to explain in four weeks why contempt of court proceedings should not be drawn against them over the matter, reports UNB.
The officials are health secretary Lokman Hossain Miah, director general of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) prof ABM Khurshid Alam, directorate general of Drug Administration Maj. Gen. Md Mahbubur Rahman, director general of Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) Babul Kumar Shaha and managing director of Indo-Bangla Pharmaceuticals Limited AFM Anwarul Haque.
The HC bench of justice Mamnoon Rahman and justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman issued the rule following a contempt of court petition filed by advocate Ripan Barai on behalf of rights organization -- Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).
The HRPB filed a writ petition in the public interest to stop the production of antibiotics by 20 pharmaceutical companies including Indo Bangla Pharmaceuticals of Barishal stating these companies don't follow the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) in the pharmaceutical industry.
Following the final hearing of the writ petition, the High Court directed the concerned officials of the health department not to allow these companies to produce medicine unless they adhere to GMP.
However, a contempt of court case was filed in the High Court on behalf of HRPB after news broke that Indo Bangla Pharmaceuticals in Barishal was illegally producing and selling antibiotics in defiance of the court order.