More than 1,500 misbranded drugs seized in Punjab

MISBRANDED BOTTLES DON’T BEAR NAME OF MANUFACTURING FIRM OR ‘SCHEDULE H DRUG’ MARKING

JALANDHAR: The drug control team on Friday seized around 1,500 bottles of a misbranded drug, which is suspected to be counterfeit, from different medical stores in the state.

The Jalandhar drug control team on Friday evening, in a surprise check at a medical shop in Dilkusha Market, seized 78 bottles of the misbranded drug.

“The inputs were, then, shared with higher authorities. Later, a drive was launched across the state to seize these this drug,” said zonal licensing authority (ZLA) Karun Sachdev.

As per the information, the drug department team seized 800 bottles of the misbranded Vriclor syrup (used to treat constipation) from different parts of Punjab. Then, 156 bottles from Jalandhar, 129 bottles from Nawanshahr, 100 from Kapurthala, 100 from Bathinda, 63 from Faridkot and 192 from Patiala were seized till the filing of report.

Food and drug administration commissioner KS Pannu said, on receiving a lead about the spurious medicines in market, a team consisting of drug control officers of Jalandhar and Kapurthala was constituted for the inspection of markets in Jalandhar and other parts of Punjab.

The investigation revealed that a drug with a lookalike packaging was available in medical stores. One of the packagings bore the name of the manufacturing firm and mentioned the drug as ‘Schedule H Drug’, that is mandatory under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1945. The other packaging did not have the branding. A ‘Schedule H Drug’ can be sold only on doctor’s prescription.

Swinging into action, the commissionerate constituted a special team to immediately investigate the supply of the drug at C&F (carrying and forwarding) level.

ZLA Sachdev said preliminary report revealed that about 4,300 bottles have been dispatched to various medical stores in the state from a Zirakpur-based factory.

Out of them, around 1,500 have been seized. The drive was ongoing at the time of filing the report.

He said samples have been taken and sent to the State Food Laboratory in Kharar.

“Notices will be issued to the medical store owners if they have bills and action will be taken against the manufacturer company only,” he said.

Meanwhile, all drug control officers in the state have been asked to be vigilant about the same in their respective jurisdictions.