Telangana Drugs Control Administration unearthed a spurious medicines racket of fake antibiotics, hypertension and cholesterol medicines, analgesics in Hyderabad. The raids were conducted at various locations on Friday, December 29, and spurious drugs worth Rs 26 lakh were seized.
Drugs Control Administration Director General VB Kamalasan Reddy said the raids were conducted by a special team on the basis of the intelligence gathered regarding entry of spurious medicines into Telangana from Kashipur in Uttarakhand.
A courier shipping company named Trackon Couriers Pvt Ltd., sent the drugs to offices located at Dilsukhnagar and Uppal areas of Hyderabad. Officials found that two parcels each of weight 14.5 kgs and 13.34 kgs claimed to contain ‘Machine Parts’ were booked at Kashipur, Uttarakhand by Amar Pharmaceuticals, Ramnagar Road, Kashipur. The parcels were delivered to Puvvada Lakshman in Hyderabad.
The DCA officials took assistance of the police authorities to trace the location of Puvvada Lakshman through his mobile number and caught him at a bar near Shiva Ganga Theatre, Dilsukhnagar. The DCA officials raided Puvvada Lakshman’s godown at Sri Venkateswara Enterprises, Dwarakapuram, Dilsukhnagar and found the stocks of spurious drugs.
Puvvada Lakshman revealed the names of his accomplices -- Pokala Ramesh and Garapalli Purnachander of Saidabad, during interrogation. Drugs Control Administration, Telangana alerted Drugs Control authorities of Uttarakhand. The special team also carried out raids at residences of the accused.
Spurious/counterfeit drugs detected and seized by DCA officials include fake medicines which were falsely labeled under the names of reputed companies like Sun Pharma (Rosuvas 10 Tablets -- used in the treatment of High cholesterol), Glenmark Pharma (Telma H Tablets, Telma 40 Tablets -- used in the treatment of Hypertension), Aristo Pharmaceuticals (Monocef-O 200 Tablets – Antibiotic), Torrent Pharma (Chymoral Forte -- used to relieve pain and swelling).
DCA Officials also found two varieties of antibiotics -- MPOD-200 Tablets (Cefpodoxime Proxetil and Lactic Acid Bacillus Tablets) and MEXCLAV 625 Tablets (Amoxicillin and Potassium Clavulanate, Lactic Acid Bacillus Tablets) -- during the raid, which are labeled as manufactured by ‘Meg Lifesciences, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, which is found to be a fictitious/non-existent company.
“Further investigation shall be carried out and action shall be taken,” said Kamalasan Reddy.