Authorities bust racket involving supply of spurious drug raw material in Paonta Sahib

In a crackdown on illegal drug trade, officials of the Drugs Control Administration, Himachal Pradesh, and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) busted a racket involving the supply of spurious active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

API is the raw material used in the manufacturing  of drugs. A firm owner was arrested on Saturday for stocking spurious APIs in violation of norms.

Acting on specific intelligence, the regulatory teams conducted a surprise inspection on a trading premises located near the bus stand at Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur on Thursday.  The premises, licensed for wholesale drug distribution with a valid licence up to  December 25, 2028, was found in possession of two APIs – Thiocolchicoside and Azithromycin – suspected to be spurious.

Dr Manish Kapoor, Drugs Controller, Himachal Pradesh, informed that the recovered APIs — Thiocolchicoside, commonly used for its anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant properties, and Azithromycin, a widely used antibiotic — were stored without any valid purchase documentation in violation of the norms. The  proprietor of the firm failed to produce purchase bills for the said APIs following which they had been taken into custody by the inspecting officials.

Further investigation revealed that the spurious APIs were being sourced from Uttarakhand, leading to two more arrests by the regulators in the neighboring state.

While emphasising the state government’s zero-tolerance policy towards such criminal activities that threaten public health, Dr Kapoor said, “Those indulging in such nefarious practices are playing with human lives and they will face all legal repercussions. Stringent action will be initiated under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, against the erring trader.”

He further added that specific directions had been issued to the Licensing Authority and Drug Inspector concerned to expedite the investigation and initiate requisite legal action in the matter.

Kapoor reiterated their resolve to ensure the availability of safe, effective and quality medicines and to continue working in close coordination with the CDSCO and other state regulatory bodies to eliminate such threats from the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Himachal Tribune