Pharmaceutical traders on two-day strike against new drug policy

SRINAGAR: Pharmaceutical traders in Kashmir Valley today began a two-day strike against the new drug policy formulated by the state government.

The two-day strike call was given by the apex body of pharma dealers after a meeting here yesterday.

"All business outlets associated with pharma trade, including retailers, will observe a two-day strike against the new drug policy of the state government," a spokesman of the pharma dealers said.

The new policy is going to affect the livelihood of more than 2.5 lakh persons involved in pharma trade, he alleged.

The state government announced a new drug policy recently with the aim of curbing the rampant sale of spurious drugs in the state.

However, the pharma dealers allege that the new policy will benefit only a handful of companies and will leave little room for relatively smaller business houses.