Bhubaneswar: In a bid to enhance public health safety, the Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) department has launched a special statewide drive to trace and recall deceptively labelled oral rehydration solution (ORS) packets from medicine shops. Drugs Controller Mamina Patnaik said Oral Rehydration Salts and electrolyte liquids must be manufactured strictly as per WHO-recommended formulations and sold only by licensed manufacturers through authorised medicine outlets. However, she warned that several liquid products deceptively labelled as ORS or electrolyte solutions have been found in the market, even though they do not meet the required clinical standards for treating dehydration. “These products are generally approved under FSSAI norms and are not effective for the clinical management of dehydration.
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Such misleading items pose risks for patients who require proper rehydration therapy,” she added. Over the past two weeks, officers of the Drugs Control Directorate have seized and recalled 7,92,000 units of such misleading ORS packs of various brands—valued at nearly Rs 4 crore—from medicine stores across the state. The H& FW department said the drive will continue aggressively, and strict action will be taken against suppliers and retailers violating the norms. Drug dealers have been categorically instructed not to store or sell these deceptive ORS packets in pharmacies.