Karnataka fake drug racket: Officer suspended, 16 licences cancelled
Karnataka Health Minister UT Khader said legal action would be taken against anyone found involved in the case. Further action will follow the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) report
The Karnataka Drug Control Department (KDCD) has intensified its crackdown on a network allegedly involved in the manufacture, sale and supply of counterfeit medicines.
As part of the ongoing investigation, 16 drug licences have been cancelled and eight suspended. The government has also suspended FDA officer and Circle-1 Assistant Drugs Controller (ADC) Omkareshwara for alleged dereliction of duty.
What Health Minister said
Karnataka Health Minister UT Khader said legal action would be taken against anyone found involved in the case. Further action will follow the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) report.
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“Those who play with people’s lives will not be tolerated. Once the SIT submits its report, strict legal action will be taken against all those found guilty, regardless of how powerful or influential they may be,” Khader said in a post on X (Formerly Twitter).
Among the suspended licences is the wholesale drug licence of Pfizer’s C&F warehouse in Kempalinganahalli, Nelamangala taluk.
The action follows an August 18 raid by the department’s enforcement wing on a farmhouse at Kurubarakerenahalli near Bidadi. Officials found an unlicensed unit allegedly repackaging and relabelling medicines. Drugs, machinery, packing materials and counterfeit labels worth around Rs 5.05 crore were seized.
Cheap drugs sold as expensive medicines
Preliminary investigations suggest that low-cost medicines were brought from other states, transferred into new vials and relabelled as expensive medicines manufactured by multinational pharmaceutical companies before being supplied to the market, officials said.
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The counterfeit labels also carried QR and scanning codes. However, the codes were found to be non-functional during verification. Investigators suspect they were used to mislead consumers and drug retailers attempting to verify the authenticity of the medicines.
Large haul seized in Bidadi raid
The raid resulted in the seizure of 5,640 vials of CEFIAVIGENT 2.5 injection, valued at around Rs 3.38 crore, and 1,531 vials of Hijlam injection worth approximately Rs 52.24 lakh.
Officials also seized 30 boxes of expired medicines worth about Rs 35 lakh, along with drug-filling machinery, packing materials, counterfeit labels and stamps. Samples have been sent to a laboratory to assess their chemical composition, sterility, purity and pharmaceutical efficacy.
A criminal case has been registered under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, Khader said.
Action against 24 drug licences
The department has taken action against wholesale and retail establishments allegedly linked to the distribution and sale of counterfeit medicines. Licences of Med Pharma, Surya Specialty Hospital, Sagar Pharma Unit-2, Vivant Pharmaceuticals, Maruthi Medicals, Viva Pharma, Hi-5 Pharma and Pfizer’s C&F warehouse are among those suspended.
Probe may extend beyond Karnataka
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is tracing the source of the medicines, those involved in repackaging and preparing counterfeit labels, and the wholesalers and retailers through whom the drugs reached hospitals and pharmacies. Authorities are also examining possible links to other states.
Transaction records of hospitals, pharmacies, wholesalers and suppliers are being scrutinised to identify where the counterfeit batches were distributed. Details of the seized batches are being blocked on the department’s online system to prevent further sale or distribution.
(This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka)