Hyderabad: Drugs Control Lab of DCA gets NABL accreditation

Hyderabad: The Drugs Control Laboratory (DCL) of the Drugs Control Administration (DCA), Government of Telangana, has recently received the ‘Certificate of Accreditation’ in the discipline of chemical testing from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) for two years.

NABL accreditation recognises that the DCL meets rigorous quality standards as per international guidelines and can produce reliable and accurate results.

NABL is an authoritative body in India which provides formal recognition of technical competence for specific tests, measurements, and calibration services based on international standards.

“Following a successful audit by the assessment team, NABL announced the grant of accreditation to the Drugs Control Laboratory by the international standard ISO/IEC 17025:2017, which sets out the general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Drugs Control Laboratory received accreditation certificate number TC-13317 for Chemical testing from NABL, issued on March 20, 2024, valid till March 19, 2026,” informed the Director General (DG) of DCA, Telangana, VB Kamalasan Reddy.

Functions of the Drugs Control Laboratory, Hyderabad

The Drugs Control Laboratory of the DCA serves as the State Statutory Laboratory designated for the testing of drugs by the government analyst by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. The laboratory is situated within the premises of the Directorate of DCA, Vengalrao Nagar, Hyderabad and functions under the administrative control of the director general, DCA, Government of Telangana.

The laboratory discharges its duties through its personnel including senior scientific officers, junior scientific officers, and junior analysts. DCL carries out the statutory function of analytical quality control of drugs and cosmetics manufactured within the country on behalf of the DCA.

Drugs Control Laboratory also analyses drugs received from various medicines procuring departments under the Government of Telangana, the Telangana State Medical Services Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSMSIDC), and the police department.

Upgradation of the lab

The infrastructure of the laboratory has been upgraded under the ‘Central Sponsored Scheme.’ The laboratory is equipped with sophisticated analytical instruments, including High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Gas Chromatography (GC), and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS).

The microbiology section has been upgraded with the necessary infrastructure to conduct microbiological testing of drugs including injectables, ophthalmic solutions, and other sterile products, informed the DG, DCA.

79 out of 4,553 drug samples declared sub-standard in 2023

Drugs Control Laboratory analyses drugs and pharmaceutical formulations received as samples from drug inspectors of the DCA, Telangana.

The laboratory utilises the Quality Control Labs portal, which facilitates the online submission of drug samples drawn by drug inspectors and the issuance of test reports online by government analysts. The drugs declared as sub-standard (not of standard quality) by the DCL are published on the official portal of the DCA, Telangana.

In 2023, the Drugs Control Laboratory tested 4,553 samples of drugs from the market and declared 79 samples as substandard drugs, said Kamalasan Reddy.