Drug Control Administration (DCA) officials have blown up an interstate bogus drug racket in one huge stretch. They confiscated the fake COVID-19 drug supplies that have been in production for over a year.
The Uttarakhand-based thug was discovered in Andhra Pradesh, which is reported to have ties to Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and other states. According to DCA investigators, there were allegedly about £ 5 million worth of drugs on the market last year.
The defendants made the Dewciff-AZ tablets (cefixime, azithromycin and lactic acid bacillus tablets), Azidew-250 (azithromycin tablets), FIXRAT-AZ and four other brands of tablets. The tablets were reportedly manufactured by Kancare Pharmaceuticals Private Limited, Roorke, Haridwar District, Uttarakhand, under the fictional manufacturer name HPHIN Pharmaceuticals, which did not exist.
“Since antibiotic, multivitamin and C vitamin tablet sales have been high in recent months due to COVID, we have monitored drug sales and randomly checked the quality of the drugs,” said the DCA director. General S. Ravi Shankar Narayan.
Intelligent sampling
“During the smart sampling, the DCA teams collected samples from several drugs that were sent to the Drug Control Laboratory in Vijayawada. Tests have confirmed that eight types of drugs are fake and do not contain medicinal substances, ”said Ravi Shankar.
Based on the laboratory reports, the teams led by Deputy Director K. Raja Bhanu, along with Bhimavaram Drug Inspector P. Mallikharnuna Rao, Rajamahendravaram (City) Drug Inspector A. Krishna, raided medical stores in West Districts and East Godavari and confiscated a huge amount of non-standard drugs, the DG said.
Teams led by drug inspectors J. Vinod and B. Anvesh Reddy searched several other pharmacies in Krishna and other districts and confiscated about eight types of pills. The DCA, AP, alerted affected officials in other states, Mr. Bhanu said.
A team of investigators visited Roorke and raided the production unit along with local DCA personnel. The defendants marketed the Chandigarh medicines on various labels. A report of the bat was sent to the Drug Controller General of India and a warning was issued across the country, the official said.
Four were arrested
“We have identified about 25 defendants, including seven in Uttarakhand, 16 in Andhra Pradesh and two in Chandigarh. A case under Section 32 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940 and other charges was recorded. Four people allegedly involved in the racket – Tyagi Gaurav, Goel Vipul, Girish Snehi and Dinesh Pandey – have been arrested and attempts are being made to catch the remaining defendant, “said Raja Bhanu.
The DCA officers searched more than 25 drug wholesalers, pharmacies, labels and packaging in Andhra Pradesh and other states. Bank accounts, tax receipts, drug orders, some vital documents, including some scientific evidence, have all been confiscated, DCA officials said.
The DG said the licenses of the drug wholesalers and pharmacies that marketed the fake COVID drugs had been canceled.