NEPALGUNJ, March 16: Over the past eight months, the Department of Drug Administration Nepalgunj Branch has suspended 16 pharmacies—11 in Banke and five in Kailali—for regulatory violations.
According to Information Officer Deepa Paudel, the suspensions took place between mid-July and mid-March of fiscal year 2025/26. The inspections revealed issues such as the absence of business owners during monitoring, operation without registration, and expired medicines, leading to the suspension of these establishments.
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Following the inspections, 14 cases have been filed in court. Pharmacy Supervisor Inspector Dinesh Raj Neupane stated that the legal actions relate to running unregistered pharmacies, selling medicines without authorization, illegal importation, and misuse of medicines. Penalties will be applied under Section 10, Schedule 9 of the Medicines Act, 2035.
The department has also actively addressed complaints, resolving four complaints from local administration and four out of six complaints received from citizens. Additionally, 45 types of medicines collected during market inspections were sent to Kathmandu for quality testing.
Up to mid-March of the current fiscal year, the Nepalgunj branch has inspected 441 pharmacies across six districts of Lumbini Province—Banke, Bardiya, Dang, Eastern Rukum, Pyuthan, and Rolpa—and all districts of Karnali and Sudurpashchim Provinces. The branch operates with a total of eight staff, both technical and non-technical, overseeing regulatory compliance in 25 districts.
