The Indian government is set to cancel licenses of 18 pharma firms involved in spurious trade as part of an effort to curb the sale of fake medicines. According to a report by NDTV, all 18 listed companies have been instructed to stop manufacturing medicines, with show cause notices issued to an additional 26 firms. The government’s crackdown is aimed at addressing the growing menace of spurious medicines in India and abroad
The Drugs Controller General of India reportedly conducted inspections on 76 pharmaceutical companies, with action taken across 20 states in the country. The campaign has been ongoing for about 15 days. The raids come amid reports of deaths and illnesses resulting from Indian drugs in several nations.
Last month, the Gujarat-based pharma company Zydus Lifesciences had to recover over 55,000 bottles of a generic medication used to treat gout from the US market, as the medicine had failed impurities specifications. Meanwhile, three employees of a pharmaceutical firm were arrested in Noida, near Delhi, after their cough syrup allegedly led to the death of 18 children in Uzbekistan last year. The firm was found to be manufacturing and selling adulterated drugs.
Moreover, the Central and Uttar Pradesh drug authorities had checked samples of Marion Biotech products and found 22 of them to be “not of standard quality.” Additionally, a Chennai-based pharmaceutical company had to suspend production of a line of eye drops after US health authorities said they could be contaminated with a drug-resistant bacteria that had been linked to reports of permanent vision loss and one death in February.
The government’s move to clamp down on spurious trade will help restore confidence in the Indian pharmaceutical industry, which has been hit hard by reports of fake medicines. The licenses of companies involved in such activities need to be revoked and legal action taken to send a strong message that such practices will not be tolerated. The government should also focus on implementing measures to prevent the entry of fake medicines into the market, as it will be essential to ensure the safety of patients and the reputation of the industry.
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