Dr. Kapila Wickramanayake, Director of the Medical Supply Division within the Government, has reassured that the government will incur no financial loss even when removing and destroying substandard medicines from circulation.
He emphasized that it is customary to impose a 25 percent fine on the responsible drug manufacturing company in addition to covering the costs associated with the removal of substandard drugs.
Furthermore, he explained that while there may be some expenses incurred by the medical supply department for the destruction of substandard drugs, the 25 percent penalty collected from the relevant company would effectively cover these expenses.
Dr. Wickramanayake shed light on the rationale behind not returning substandard drugs to suppliers, citing concerns that such drugs could find their way back into the market through alternative channels.
Dr. Wickramanayake assured that the country would not suffer any losses from substandard medicines, as any incurred losses would be recovered through the Pharmaceutical Legalized Corporation, which will then pursue the responsible pharmaceutical manufacturing company for reimbursement.
