For the last few months the medicine manufacturers have resorted to another sinister practice of introducing strips of 15/20/30/50 tablets in a strip. Even a tablet like combiflam is being sold in a pack of 20 tablets per stri,. Sorbitrate 5 mg is being sold in a packing of 50 tablets per strip, Telma 40 mg which was available in a packing of 10 tablets per strip has been increased from 10 to 30 tablets and so on. This is forcing the ordinary patients to a forced cheating by the medicine manufacturers who are earning hefty profits and causing willful waste. Many medicines are not prescribed for regular use. Some times even for a prescription of 3 tablets one has to purchase a pack of 10/20 tablets. The Govt. - Health Minister, while keeps on shouting that they are trying to bring the prices of drugs down , the manufactures find out some novice method of failing the govt. and increase their profits. The present practice is cheating while causing national waste of medicines. It is high time a standard packaging norms is prescribed. It will be desirable to have medicines packed in 1/2/3/5/10 tablets -depending upon their prescription pattern - per strip format only. Readers on the column are requested to write about this issue and place their views for the consideration of the Health Ministry. more